


Future

by freedomphoenix



Series: Future-verse [1]
Category: Figure Skating RPF
Genre: Alpha Yuzuru, Alternate Universe, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Future Fic, M/M, Married Life, Mpreg, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Omega Shoma, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-18
Updated: 2018-08-12
Packaged: 2019-04-04 02:39:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 34,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14010348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/freedomphoenix/pseuds/freedomphoenix
Summary: Shoma and Yuzuru welcome their first child and all the joys and struggles that come with one.





	1. Month 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, to be completely honest domestic fics are my guilty pleasure. This is my take on the common A/B/O trope. Don't plan on seeing this updated as much and as quickly as I do my other one. There is much less reading over and more just writing for pleasure. (Not that I don't enjoy writing the other one, I'm a little more lazy re-reading wise with this one).
> 
> Let me know what you think!  
> [Marriage](http://78.media.tumblr.com/6d1452f615e7ec723b73ed9d6d1023b1/tumblr_onv001kL1M1ty4cy5o4_250.gif)

Shoma sat, knees tucked to his chest watching the blinking lights of the Tokyo skyline. It was late and extremely odd for him to be awake at this hour. He was restless and had climbed in and out of bed for the past couple of hours trying everything to fall asleep. Yuzuru went to a dinner for figure skaters to celebrate the end of another successful competition but Shoma had decided to stay home. He wasn’t feeling well and decided that it would be better to stay home rather than risk infecting anyone. It wasn’t anything he was unable to tough through before, but he couldn’t fall asleep for some reason. He instead decided to wait for Yuzuru to come home. Being able to lay next to him made Shoma feel comfortable and safe. Although, Shoma rarely had trouble falling asleep. Well, except for when he was competing, but that part of his career was done.

The door to their shared apartment opens and the sound of Yuzuru’s laughter filters through the bedroom. Shoma smiles unconsciously, happy to have Yuzuru home. Javier’s laughter echoes off the walls and Shoma figures Javier must have come over to hang out a little longer before going home. Javier had brought his own skaters to Japan and finally found time to hang out with Yuzuru. Between Javier working with his skaters and Yuzuru’s work with injured athletes, neither of them had enough time to hang out with each other. Javier and his wife had come to Japan but his wife did not accompany him to the party. Apparently, Javier’s youngest was presenting and his wife had grown frustrated with Javier’s worried pacing and his wife told him to leave. Shoma giggles to himself at the thought of Javier trying to be helpful and eventually being told to go away for being too overbearing.

Presenting and maturation was an inevitable part of puberty. Birth and hormone control were relatively well circulated and ingrained in society that issues rarely arose. However, those drugs could not be properly administered until someone matured fully. Presenting itself was an angst-filled rite of passage, where bodies and emotions are all out of whack. It took a couple of days to determine whether you were an Alpha, Beta, or Omega. It took a couple of years for the maturation of those specific sex characteristics to finish, but the first couple of days were the hardest. Once maturation finished, drugs could be prescribed to help deal with inconvenient instincts. People’s experiences differed greatly, Shoma’s was relatively quick and painless, he’d finished maturation in three years and had little to no issues with his heats. Yuzuru too had a short and painless presenting and maturation process, rarely having to take extended breaks for ruts. But he’s overheard Nathan and Adam commiserating over their long and apparently painful maturation process. Shoma figures it has something to do with America's food or something, they were different over there.

The door is cracked open and Shoma is broken out of his thoughts, the smell of Yuzuru floods his senses—cedar—Shoma releases a whine. Shoma covers his mouth, the sound had unconsciously escaped his mouth. “Shoma?” asks Yuzuru, surprised to see Shoma awake. “Did Javi and I wake you? How do you feel love?”

Shoma gets up, he had dressed in Yuzuru’s clothes to try and help him fall asleep about two hours ago, figuring maybe scent would help. Shoma shuffles over to Yuzuru and places his head on Yuzuru’s shoulder, nuzzling his scent mark. Shoma sighs in relief and happiness when his headache and nausea recedes slightly. “I couldn’t fall asleep.”

“I’ll tell Javi to go home, let me join you in bed,” Yuzuru says, turning to tell his friend to go. He’s stopped by Shoma’s hand tugging on his shirt.

“No, just cuddle with me while you two talk,” says Shoma, wanting to be close to Yuzuru but not wanting to force Javier to go home.

“Love, he can go home, Javier and I can always spend time together another day. He isn’t leaving quite yet,” Shoma shakes his head surprising Yuzuru, Shoma wasn’t one for overly visible PDA, just wanting to hold hands in public, maybe share an occasional kiss. So it was much to Yuzuru’s surprise that Shoma wanted to cuddle in front of Javier. Not that Yuzuru minded. “Whatever you need Sho,” Yuzuru leads Shoma out into their living room.

“Did I wake you up Shoma, sorry,” apologizes Javier, “I can go, I don’t want to impose.”

“No, no, don’t worry, I will just sit here,” Shoma makes himself comfortable between Yuzuru’s legs on their sofa. He links their hands and lets out a happy sound of contentment as Yuzuru begins to gently stroke his hand. Javier’s nose contorts and he takes a good look at Shoma.

“Uh, Shoma, are you off of your hormone suppressants?” Javier asks, trying to pinpoint the slight change in scent.

“Mhm, I’ve been off for a while,” Shoma answers content with Yuzuru’s warmth and presence.

“Why? Aren’t you mated? His scent shouldn’t bother you,” asks Yuzuru, his Alpha pheromones suddenly flaring in possessiveness. Shoma leans in closer to Yuzuru, pleased for some reason.

“It doesn’t bother me like that Yuzuru. You’ve been off of your’s too haven’t you?”

“Yes, I don’t know what came over me,” Yuzuru looks slightly confused.

“I think—I’m not a doctor, but Shoma might be pregnant,” Javier says. Shoma sits up at that. Yuzuru sits a little straighter, looking at Javier oddly.

“What do you mean?” asks Yuzuru.

“He smells different, almost like when my wife was pregnant,” Javier says. “It’s not a noticeable change until you’re further along, but I haven’t seen Shoma in so long so I recognized the change. Also as an Alpha, you tend to get more, you know, possessive. Especially if you’re off suppressants.”

“Oh—” it hits him. Shoma and Yuzuru had been trying to get pregnant ever since Shoma ended his competitive career and they had settled into their life. The last time they had sex was before Yuzuru got busy with skating clients pre-competition. It had lasted days with Shoma’s heat and Yuzuru’s rut matching up. A large grin breaks across Yuzuru’s face and he squeezes Shoma.

“We did it!” Yuzuru exclaims happily, he begins to cry. His arms flying everywhere excitedly. “Sho we did it, finally!” Yuzuru continues to blabber happily, manually turning Shoma around in his lap to face him, peppering his face with kisses.

“We did,” Shoma smiles and squeezes Yuzuru’s hand. He leans in and kisses Yuzuru, happiness blooming inside of him.

* * *

Shoma and Yuzuru lay intertwined in bed cuddling. Javier had returned to his hotel about half an hour ago. “Yuzuru do you remember when you asked me to marry you?” asks Shoma as he snuggles closer to Yuzuru, sleepy and content.

“Yes Sho-puppy,” replies Yuzuru. “I had finished the last ice show of my competitive career and while everyone was raining down Pooh Bears you were carried on stage by Team Japan and plopped right in front of me. The whole audience then lifted up the flowers they were given to spell ‘Will you marry me?’ and you started crying.”

“You flustered me so badly. I sobbed out the ugliest ‘yes.’ Everyone proceeded to throw down their flowers. I was ecstatic, I think that was the most quads I’ve ever done voluntarily,” said Shoma, he is emitting a large dose of happy pheromones.

“You were also very happy when I bit you that night,” said Yuzuru with a giggle. He bit Shoma’s scent mark and both of them sigh happily.

“We had already agreed to mate but you surprised me with asking to marry me,” said Shoma.

“Well I wanted to tie the knot both ways,” said Yuzuru with a laugh.

Shoma nudged Yuzuru with his head, “That’s gross,” says Shoma.

“I wasn’t about to let anyone take you from me,” says Yuzuru.

“And I wouldn’t let anyone take me away from you. Besides, I married and mated the Yuzuru Hanyu,” says Shoma. “Shouldn’t I be the one who’s afraid of losing you.”

“You would never lose me,” said Yuzuru. “Nobody can compare to your attitude and sass. And I married the Shoma Uno too, don’t forget you’re famous too.” Shoma laughed and shoved Yuzuru playfully. “But to be honest,” Yuzuru paused and looked at Shoma lovingly, he intertwined his fingers in Shoma’s hair, “no one has ever loved me in the way you have. You love me for who I am. Not just for my title or my accomplishments. You also love that I’m loud and obnoxious. You dealt with me being one-track minded to the point of ignoring you at times. You made sure that I never fell too deep into a hole of self-doubt. You’re my rock.” Shoma turned red and kissed Yuzuru.

“Thank you for sticking with me even though I didn’t always know how to show my emotions; you helped to bring me out of my shell. You made sure I was never forgotten, always looking back to make sure I was right there. You made sure that I pushed myself when I thought I couldn’t do it anymore. You loved me for my obsession with video games. You saw things in me that even I was unable to see,” says Shoma. Yuzuru kisses Shoma and strokes his hair causing his eyes to flutter sleepily.

“Thank you for trying so hard even after all the miscarriages; the doctors telling you that as an athlete you would probably never be able to get pregnant. To persevere and reduce the number of shows you had so we could have a baby,” Yuzuru begins to cry, so grateful. Shoma brings Yuzuru in closer.

“Anything, I would do anything Yuzu. I want this child too. I would go through it all again,” says Shoma, he begins to cry too.

“We’re going to be an emotional mess these next 9 months,” says Yuzuru.

“It’s okay, we have each other,” says Shoma.

* * *

Shoma was not happy, all the happiness he had before disappeared with the vomit exiting his mouth as he leaned over the toilet. Maybe he was being slightly dramatic, but his body was changing and it was odd. Besides he was mated to Yuzuru Hanyu, being dramatic must have rubbed off on him at some point. Shoma sat back on his haunches before another wave of nausea comes over him. He had a nice big breakfast and here he was barfing it up. “Love, I have some lemon water and I got your toothbrush ready,” says Yuzuru from the doorway, worried. Yuzuru wanted to help reduce Shoma’s nausea but wasn’t able to do much else than provide some temporary remedies and a ready toothbrush. They were still figuring this pregnancy thing out, lemon water had helped so far to reduce Shoma’s nausea but mornings were always difficult for him.

Shoma leaned over the sink, brushing away the taste of vomit. He didn’t really mind the whole nausea thing if it meant he would be able to grow a healthy baby. But he wouldn’t lie and say that pregnancy was the easiest thing he had ever done. Yuzuru wraps his hands around Shoma’s stomach as he finishes brushing his teeth. Shoma lets out a pleased sound, happy to have his mate touch him. “Don’t you have to go to the rink today?”

“But I don’t want to leave you,” Yuzuru nuzzles Shoma’s scent mark and breathes in deeply making Shoma smile.

“I know and I don’t really want you to go either—but unless you plan on doing commercials into eternity to make money than you should go to work.”

“I hate that you’re right, you know that I would hate to do commercials forever and not getting to help skaters,” Yuzuru threads his hands through Shoma’s hair, delaying going to work.

“Now go, even if you’re the Ice Prince you can’t make Satoko wait,” Shoma scolds, “you said you’d help her today.”

“Hmph, they can wait for their special coach a little longer,” Yuzuru says, “I’ve never been late to these sessions, it’ll be the first time.”

“Stop being ridiculous,” Shoma giggles, “you’re literally leaking happy pheromones all over the place. And as much as I love this I don’t want you to be late.” Shoma places a toothpaste flavored kiss on Yuzuru’s lips, “Now Yuzu go to work so I can take care of some work too.” Yuzuru nuzzles Shoma’s scent mark one more time to bury himself in Shoma’s natural minty scent and gives Shoma one more kiss.

“Fine,” Yuzuru pouts cutely and Shoma just laughs gently pushing him out of the bathroom. Shoma walks Yuzuru to the door to bid him goodbye.

“I love you,” says Shoma, kissing Yuzuru at the door.

“Love you too!”

Just as Yuzuru’s about to leave Shoma calls out, “Oh wait!” Shoma rushes back to their room and returns with a jacket. “Just in case it gets cold at the rink.”

“Thank you, love,” Yuzuru says, patting Shoma on the head. “Hopefully it’ll make a point to those teenagers.”

Yuzuru and Shoma decided to be off their suppressants to let the process be as natural as possible. Research had determined that if an Alpha was off their suppressants, it helped not only the baby but their Omega counterparts, especially later during birth. It wasn’t a necessity for an Alpha to be off suppressants for a healthy baby, many couples had perfectly fine babies while the Alpha was on suppressants. The Omega always has to be suppressant free to make sure the baby developed properly. Shoma and Yuzuru had weighed the pros and cons and decided that Yuzuru would be off his suppressants. Yuzuru wanted to be able to help Shoma and if that meant needing to deal with the occasional unusual possessiveness and slight behavior changes on both of their parts it was fine.

He just had to tone down the occasional jealous flare when he was with Shoma. He also had to deal with some admiring teenagers. He’s seen a couple of them gossiping over the way he smelled and it was very weird, to say the least. That’s why he liked working with his clients, they didn’t really care. They could tell he was off suppressants but it didn’t affect them in any way. And if it did for some reason, most of them were smart enough to understand boundaries. Yuzuru’s process of maturation was so easy that he sometimes forgets the way in which hormones can affect some teenagers. He asked Shoma to give him something of his to wear to make a point.

“I doubt it, maybe I have to make a point of coming to your next competition dinner with a protruding stomach or something,” Shoma says.

“Aren’t you bold now,” Yuzuru grins at the thought of a pregnant Shoma, “you know I’d like that though.”

“You know I wouldn’t actually want to do that, I’m joking. I’m still shy Yuzu,” Shoma complains with a teasing smile on his face.

“Maybe we should talk to Satoko and have a special visit from Shoma—” Yuzuru is cut off in his attempt to have Shoma come to practice. Shoma pushes Yuzuru towards the door.

“You and your scheming to have me nearer to you, go, you’ll be fine. A couple of teenagers never stopped you, even when you were maturing yourself. Now you’re old and mated, they can’t do anything about that.” Yuzuru makes a mock offended face about being old and kisses Shoma goodbye. Shoma grins and waves Yuzuru goodbye.

* * *

“One more time, this time really try to nail your timing. Remember focus on rotating,” Yuzuru says. He demonstrates the quad once more and makes sure the skater in front of him understands. He checks the rest of his skaters he was helping and nods, satisfied that they are attempting to fix what he told them to.

Yuzuru turns around to find Satoko and comment on some small changes her skaters needed to make. The smell of molasses suddenly hits him instead. Yuzuru scrunches his nose at the sweet scent. Teenagers bless their hearts, had some of the strongest smells when they were maturing. Sometimes Yuzuru wishes they invented a scent masking deodorant. Walking into a room of teenagers felt like dealing with an Axe scent bomb. “Coach Yuzuru?” asks a small European girl, she was one of the other coaches star skaters, she had flown in to train in Japan, but unfortunately had a huge crush on Yuzuru. He had ignored it for her sake, not wanting to embarrass her. Yuzuru figured she’d either find someone else or realize it was pointless to have a crush on a mated man. He figured part of it was being starstruck with the idea of him. Yuzuru had met his fair share of people who claimed to “love” him for everything but who he actually was.

“Yes?”

“I was wondering if—” she pauses and stutters her next statement, “w-would you a-accept t-this?” She hands him a nicely wrapped package and Yuzuru awkwardly grips it in his hand, unsure what to do with it, “this for helping,” is all she says before removing her skating guards and skating away. Yuzuru doesn’t even have a chance to respond, he sighs and puts the package down.

He didn’t really help her that much besides doing a demonstration once or twice, but he couldn’t just throw the gift away. He figures he would try to talk to her later and tell her he couldn’t accept the gift. He realizes that he had rushed to get to the rink on time after spending a little too much time with Shoma that he had forgotten Shoma’s jacket in the car. He also realizes he forgot his lunch.

“Coach?” asks one of the skaters he was helping.

“Yes?” Yuzuru looks up to see what he needed. The skater is pointing at something, “Did something happen?”

“Isn’t that Shoma Uno?” asks his skater in accented Japanese. Yuzuru turns his head and finds his mate talking to Satoko with Yuzuru’s forgotten lunch in hand.

Yuzuru sometimes forgets that their relationship wasn’t as widely advertised these days. Especially with the younger foreign skaters, Shoma and Yuzuru didn’t appear in the media as much as they used to. They had appeared an obnoxious amount in the media towards the beginning but after a while, reporters got tired of following them and finding nothing interesting. Also, both of them didn’t have social media and didn’t really feel the need to project their whole relationship to the world. They wouldn’t go out of their way to not be together, but they tended to be more conservative in public.

“It is, thanks for letting me know—finish running through your routine, I’ll be right back.” Yuzuru makes his way over to Shoma, feigning ignorance at the reason his mate was here, “Sho what are you doing here?”

“You forgot your lunch,” Shoma hands it to him and Yuzuru grins. He gives Shoma a big hug and a quick peck.

“I’m glad to know world-class Yuzuru Hanyu still forgets his lunch,” says Satoko. Yuzuru laughs and wraps an arm around Shoma’s waist, content with being able to touch his mate.

“I have a couple of comments for some of your skaters to share with you,” Yuzuru says to Satoko who nods.

“Come find me after you finish with Shoma,” says Satoko, “also congratulations you two!”

“Can you tell?” asks Shoma, slightly self-conscious as he looks down. Yuzuru would have to talk to him later, Shoma rarely had issues with his body, if any. He just didn’t care. It was most likely the hormones.

“Not at all like that darling, you just smell amazing,” says Satoko with a reassuring smile. Shoma smiles shyly and Yuzuru is infinitely grateful for Satoko’s ability to be emotionally adept. Satoko walks towards the rink to demonstrate some footwork to her skaters.

“You can stay long enough to watch some of the routines right?” asks Yuzuru.

“Mhm, I actually came by because I wanted to talk to Satoko and realized I should bring the lunch you forgot too,” Shoma says, not wanting to admit that he had come to surprise Yuzuru.

“Not so you could see me?” pouts Yuzuru, secretly pleased Shoma had come to visit him at work like he had suggested or attempted to suggest earlier. Shoma knew Satoko didn’t actually need to see Shoma today, meaning he had gone out of his way to see Yuzuru. Shoma turns red and Yuzuru squeals, it didn’t matter that they had been together for such a long time, Shoma had his moments of being shy in public.

“Of course so I could see you too,” Shoma says quietly, just for Yuzuru to hear. He follows Yuzuru to where he was previously observing the skaters. Shoma leans against Yuzuru, the comforting scent of mint floods his senses and Yuzuru nuzzles Shoma’s head. Shoma doesn’t complain like he usually does when Yuzuru is over affectionate in public. His eyes focus back on the skaters, critiquing their every move. Shoma’s weight begins to get heavier and he realizes Shoma is falling asleep leaning against him.

“Are you tired Shoma?” asks Yuzuru emitting worried pheromones. Shoma blinks his eyes tiredly and comfortingly squeezes Yuzuru’s hand, the mint scent washes over him again and he calms down.

“A little, don’t worry about me, pregnancy messes with my sleep. Besides I’m always sleepy. I’ll go sit down and play games so you can actually coach, you have a lunch break soon,” Yuzuru nods and turns his eyes back to his skaters.

“Why is Shoma Uno here?” asks his skater from before, looking over Yuzuru’s shoulder.

“Because even Yuzuru Hanyu can’t remember to bring lunch all the time,” says Yuzuru.

The skater raises an eyebrow and looks between the two of them, “Your smells are mixed. Mates?”

Yuzuru just nods, “Now stop worrying about my personal life and focus on your form. I want you to do your footwork in slow motion. I want to see the perfect form.” The skater nods and skates away.

“Sho-kun! What are you doing here?” asks Nobunari, he runs over to his friend and ruffles his hair. “Congrats on the baby, when’s the baby shower? And if you need any help let me know!” Yuzuru is so focused on watching his skaters he doesn’t even notice Nobunari arriving, however, a growl is emitted and he unconsciously turns his head to glare at Nobunari.

“Sorry, sorry, I didn’t mean to do that. I did that to Javi too,” Yuzuru scratches his head and looks slightly embarrassed. He really needed to work on dealing with other Alphas. He had never felt this possessive in his life. He trusted Shoma and all of his friends, he had no reason to feel this way.

“Yuzuru! Just the man I wanted to see,” Nobunari walks over and gives Yuzuru a big hug. “I see that those instincts are really kicking in. It only gets worse,” Nobunari says with a smile. Nobunari had done the same for his children and Yuzuru wonders how he managed not to make international news by doing something rash.

“Thanks for the encouragement,” says Yuzuru.

“The baby makes it worth it, in the end, I promise,” Nobunari says, “any way that isn’t the only thing I’m here about. I actually have to do some work,” He begins to chat with Yuzuru and points to some of Satoko’s skaters.

Shoma turns back to playing his game, losing interest in Nobunari and Yuzuru. He is focused on finishing the level he had been stuck on for a long time. Even if he was a full grown adult he still enjoyed his games and naps. But he was still responsible, he had actually finished what he needed to work on for the day and felt a sudden pang of longing. He wanted to be near Yuzuru so he decided to visit him at work.

Shoma feels a sudden wave of nausea and he stands up and makes his way to the bathroom. He is so focused on not barfing he doesn’t notice someone running past him. After successfully emptying the meager contents of his stomach he flushes it, rinses his mouth, and makes his way out of the bathroom. He hears a strained sob from the women’s restroom and stops. “Are you okay in there?” Shoma calls out. He’s had his fair share of crying sessions after a, particularly grueling practice when he was younger. Figure skating wasn’t just a physical sport, it was heavily emotional.

“I-I’m okay,” calls out a shaky voice in heavily accented Japanese.

“If you have hard time with skate, just work hard. If you work hard it pay off,” Shoma says slowly, in accented English. Yuzuru’s English had quickly improved as he studied and practiced in Canada. Shoma had picked up his fair share and tried his best to study but he still struggled with speaking.

Shoma turns as he smells Yuzuru coming closer, “Are you okay love?” Yuzuru looks Shoma over worried.

“I just felt a little nauseous. Nothing awful,” Shoma says. Yuzuru hugs Shoma, nuzzling Shoma’s scent mark.

“I can’t be apart from you for too long without worrying,” Yuzuru admits.

“Neither can I,” Shoma says shyly. Yuzuru grins and squeezes Shoma extra tight.

“Look at us attached at the hip now. Next thing you know we’ll be taking up ice dancing just to be together,” Yuzuru jokes. Giggling, Shoma places both hands on Yuzuru’s face and brings him in for an affectionate kiss. Just as they are about to part a distressed sound is heard and a girl runs past. “Did someone fall too much today?” asks Shoma, curious as to who the mysterious girl was crying in the bathroom.

“We might’ve just kissed in front of one of my admirers. I think she heard the news,” Yuzuru says.

“Oh dear, Yuzu, that poor girl,” Shoma says. He felt bad for showcasing their relationship in such an obvious way to someone who had a clear crush on Yuzuru.

“Is it mean that I’m glad I don’t have to confront her?” Yuzuru asks, resting his chin on Shoma's head.

“Just a little bit,” Shoma says, “I also am kind of glad that my presence scared her off. But that isn’t a nice thought.” Yuzuru places a soft bite on Shoma’s neck and Shoma leans into it, biting back a happy whine. “Instincts?”

“Mhm,” says Yuzuru. “I know you don’t like it when I do that kind of stuff in public.”

“It’s okay, no one is here,” says Shoma. “Besides, I seem to like this PDA stuff more now I’m pregnant,” said Shoma.

“Just tell me if you ever feel uncomfortable,” says Yuzuru.

“Of course. Now, we should tell her coach what happened. You don’t want to get in trouble for distressing someone’s skater.”

“I will go talk to the coach,” says Yuzuru.

“I should try to talk to the girl and apologize,” says Shoma.

“For what?”

“For making out in front of her. Besides, I should let her down gently since you can’t,” says Shoma.

“I could, but I think I might destroy her if I let her know that I knew she had feelings for me,” says Yuzuru.

Shoma grabbed hold of Yuzuru’s hand, “Always the heartbreaker,” says Shoma. Yuzuru laughs and pokes Shoma gently.

“So were you,” says Yuzuru.

“I didn’t let down nearly as many people as you did,” says Shoma.

“But you had your fair share, do you want me to remind you of the panty incident,” says Yuzuru.

“No, please, just let that die,” says Shoma.

“Okay, okay fine. After I talk to the coach I have to talk to Satoko. I just need to work with a couple more of her skaters then we should be able to have lunch.”

“Okay Yuzu,” says Shoma pecking Yuzuru before they leave the secludedness of the hallway. They both walk out and go in their respective directions.

Shoma makes his way over to the crying girl who is surrounded by her fellow skaters. They are comforting her in a variety of languages. They all make eye contact with Shoma and cling closer to her. The two Alpha girls stand up and walk towards Shoma. They were both taller than him and were beginning to posture up. Shoma could smell their slight fear and also overprotectiveness. Skaters had a strong pack mentality, especially since a lot of them were going through similar struggles. Shoma remembers when Keiji would be overprotective during Shoma’s heats and always made sure to stay with someone else even if Shoma’s heats were well controlled. He also remembers talking Kaori through her presentation when they were overseas and her parents had yet to come. Shoma had interfered when an overzealous skater had tried to proposition Vincent. (Although, the skater was later confronted by a very angry Nathan Chen, that almost fight was broken up by both Javier and Yuzuru). They all looked out for each other. Shoma bites back a smile, it reminded him of what it was like to be a teenager.

“Do you need something?” asks one of the girls in English.

“I want to talk to her, please,” says Shoma slowly in English.

“You can say whatever you want to us,” says the other girl in broken Japanese, she was trying to be intimidating but it wasn’t really working.

“I’m not mad at her,” says Shoma, he begins to exude his relaxing pheromones and he sees the two girls relax slightly. Shoma was glad for once that he was off hormone suppressants, he could do things like this.

“Just don’t hurt her, she didn’t know,” says one of the girls. Shoma smiles gently and makes his way over, the rest of the girls clear away, sensing he had passed the two Alphas.

“Hi there, I’m Shoma Uno,” says Shoma slowly in English.

“Ah, I know you and I’m so sorry, I didn’t know he had a mate. I feel like such an awful person. I didn’t even think he would ever like me back because I’m much too young and he’s way out of my league—” she pauses.

“Don’t worry. We don’t show very often,” says Shoma. “This time very hard for you,” says Shoma, pausing to get his thoughts together, “but you doing great job. There are many good Alpha out there.”

She smiles weakly, “How long have you two been together?”

“5 years,” says Shoma. It had been a while he realizes, the time had moved so fast.

“I’m so sorry,” she says, “I admired him a lot because Coach Javier talked about him all the time. He must’ve mentioned that he was married to another excellent skater but I wasn’t paying attention or was too busy fawning over him. It’s so embarrassing—he knew I liked him and he must have been so uncomfortable,” Javier! He would have to tell Yuzuru and Javier later. She must’ve come from Spain.

“It’s ok, I don’t like it be very public. Too many camera,” says Shoma. “It possible you didn’t know.”

“You’re so nice too,” she looks as if she’s about to cry again and Shoma places a comforting hand on her and she begins to relax. “You aren’t on suppressants?” she asks, recognizing the strong calming pheromones from another Omega. Shoma shakes his head and it appears to register in her head. “You’re pregnant!”

“Yes, but not far yet,” says Shoma. Her eyes light up and all her sadness is gone.

“A baby! So that’s why everyone suddenly started being attracted to him. I was surprised when all of my friends confessed they liked him too. We all agreed he smelled really good,” she says. She covers her mouth, appalled she had just admitted that in front of Yuzuru’s mate. Shoma throws back his head and laughs. Yuzuru’s head whips around at the sound of his mate laughing. He had finished talking to her coach and discovered she used to be one of Javi’s. It made sense that she was slightly obsessed with him. Apparently, Javier liked to show videos of him to his skaters. He smiles affectionately at the sight of his mate laughing.

“Don’t worry, we both force to reject admirer. He smell very good so he hit on a lot,” says Shoma, “I just want to make sure you not hurt too bad. An old man like him not worth your time.”

Yuzuru strolls over and links his hands with Shoma. “Are you talking bad about me?”

“Never Yuzu,” says Shoma with a giggle.

“Good or else I might cry,” says Yuzuru.

Shoma throws his head back in laughter, “Shoma Uno made _the_ Yuzuru Hanyu cry.”

“I’m sorry for the way I acted earlier. Both of you are obviously very happily mated, I don’t know why I couldn’t have smelled it or figured it out sooner,” the girl apologized.

“It’s okay, you wouldn’t be the first. We’ve both been hit on multiple times by people much older who should know much better. Besides, it isn’t always instinct to look here,” said Yuzuru lifting his ring finger with a thin gold band.

“You’re young, you have your life ahead of you to find someone like him,” says Shoma gesturing towards Yuzuru. Yuzuru smiles at Shoma and squeezes his hand. The girl looks at their joined hands and smiles.

“Yuzuru I need to talk to you,” calls out Satoko.

“That’s my cue to go,” says Yuzuru. He leans in to speak only to Shoma, “We can find somewhere to eat lunch together Sho-puppy.” Shoma nods and pushes Yuzuru towards Satoko.

“I wish the best for you,” says Shoma with a smile. “I let you go back to friends, they look worry.”

“Thank you Shoma-san,” says the girl in broken Japanese. Shoma smiles and nods his head in understanding. She grins and moves to talk to her friends.

Shoma stands up and makes his way back to where he was sitting before. He looked at the ice longingly, it had been a week since he had been on the ice and it felt like forever. Maybe he would be able to grab his skates from the car, he had practice clothes in there too. He wanted to do some quads.

“What are you thinking about so hard over there?” asks Yuzuru walking over to Shoma who is staring at the skaters intently.

“I wanna get on the ice,” says Shoma.

“Wanna get your skates from your car and have some ice time? The kids are going to take a lunch break and we have about 20 minutes before they resurface the ice,” offers Yuzuru. “We will just have to eat a little later.”

“Really? Won’t you have to work with the kids?”

“I’m not here all day today,” says Yuzuru, “so we can leave after we eat or we can take our lunch and eat elsewhere.”

“Okay, I’ll get changed and meet you here,” says Shoma happily.

“I’ll be waiting for you Sho-puppy,” says Yuzuru. He makes his way over to Satoko to tell her he was going to be on the ice with Shoma for a little while and if her skaters wanted to watch they could.

“Satton, Shoma and I are going to fool around on the ice for a little bit,” says Yuzuru, “if your kids want to they can watch.”

“Oh is Swanyu going to show off or are you going to force Shoma to do it for you?” says Satoko jokingly.

“Both maybe?” says Yuzuru with a laugh. “Maybe I’ll do something like this,” says Yuzuru waving his arms wildly. Satoko laughs and urges Yuzuru to do more. Yuzuru proceeds to fling his arms wildly before he suddenly stops. He sees Shoma seriously putting on his skates, lost in his thoughts and an affectionate smile crosses his face.

“Oh Swanyu has seen ‘Sho-puppy’ and can’t function,” teases Satoko.

“He’s so cute and perfect,” says Yuzuru. His happy pheromones are radiating all over the place and Shoma looks over smelling happiness from his Alpha. He smiles at Yuzuru and urges him to come over. Yuzuru feels his heart melt.

“You two are disgustingly cute,” says Satoko, “I’ll let my skaters know they can eat lunch and watch you if they want to.” Yuzuru nods and makes his way over to Shoma, he removes his skate guards and goes on the ice before Shoma. He makes his way across the rink, skating some warm-up circles.

“Yuzu,” calls out Shoma from behind him, he skates backward to see what Shoma wants.

“Yes Sho?” asks Yuzuru.

“You summoned an audience,” says Shoma.

“Mhm, I figured it would help them,” says Yuzuru.

“Swanyu wants to appear again,” says Shoma. Yuzuru laughs and skates off to do a flawless triple axel followed by a toe loop. Shoma rolls his eyes and follows suit. Yuzuru’s eyes light up and Shoma groans.

“Shoma wants to have a jump battle,” says Yuzuru. Shoma grins at that and they launch into jumps. One after the other, throwing more ridiculous movements in, exaggerating as they would at an ice show. They both end with their signature quads, panting heavily.

“Looks like we’re older than we thought,” says Shoma.

“Maybe, but I think I won this won,” said Yuzuru as they skated side by side, in their own world.

“Well I think I might win this crowd,” says Shoma with a wink before skating away and doing his signature cantilever. He hears a bunch of “oohs” and some gasps of surprise. Yuzuru rolls his eyes good-naturedly and skates over, finally taking notice of the crowd they’ve amassed.

“I would love to continue this Sho-puppy but it seems as if they need to resurface the ice,” says Yuzuru. Shoma pouts but moves to get off the ice. Yuzuru skates up to him and kisses him on the lips earning an even larger gasp of surprise. “I think I won the audience this time.”


	2. Month 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the fic I always work on when I'm feeling down because I can't help but smile.

“Are you free next week Yuzu?” asks Shoma as he stares at his phone. He was dressed in Yuzuru’s shirt that clung to certain parts of his body and hung just long enough to cover his butt. Yuzuru found satisfaction in seeing Shoma dressed up in his clothes even if it meant he was missing a couple of shirts.

“What day? I have some clients next week but not too many,” says Yuzuru as he cooks dinner. Yuzuru is wearing the Winnie the Pooh apron Shoma had bought him for his birthday. Shoma could cook, but he would tend to avoid the vegetables that he needed to eat. So, Yuzuru had taken it upon himself to make sure all the greens Shoma and the baby needed were in their meals. “Also, I’m putting all of your absolute favorites in this meal.”

Shoma wrinkles his nose at that, sensing Yuzuru’s sarcasm, “I already drink the assigned amount to help us get pregnant do I need to eat anymore?” Shoma had taken up drinking the vegetables, finding it more palatable in that form rather than eating it.

“It’s all for the baby Sho,” says Yuzuru. Shoma sighs and nods causing Yuzuru to grin. “I’ll serve you extra just for you and the baby!”

“Hmph, only because I’m pregnant,” says Shoma, “but I want extra meat too!”

“Yes Sho-puppy, whatever Shoma and the baby wants,” says Yuzuru. Shoma lets out a pleased sound and Yuzuru smiles happily. Whenever Shoma was happy, Yuzuru could feel himself growing even happier.

“Next Wednesday for a doctors appointment,” says Shoma, remembering what he was asking about before.

“Yes, of course. I don’t have any clients that day so we can go on a date after too,” says Yuzuru. He begins to place the food on the table and Shoma gets up to help set the table.

“What should we do?” asks Shoma.

“Baby clothes, furniture, baby room decorations?” suggests Yuzuru, excited about the baby. Shoma smiles weakly.

“Can we wait until we’re further along?” asks Shoma quietly. Yuzuru immediately senses Shoma’s fear and wraps him up in a comforting hug. He nuzzles Shoma’s scent mark reassuringly, releasing his comforting pheromones to help Shoma relax slightly.

“Anything you need Shoma,” says Yuzuru.

“I’m just scared. This is the furthest we’ve made it so far. And I’m afraid that it will just be like every other time,” Shoma admits. Yuzuru feels his heart clench, the miscarriages were emotionally harrowing for everyone involved. It resulted in multiple heated disagreements and sleepless nights full of tears for both of them. It had made them closer than ever but it was also very trying. They had started trying since the two of them were mated but Shoma had only miscarried so far. They had lost their first child before they even knew he was pregnant. It was during their travel to China for an ice show. Shoma came out of their hotel bathroom, pale and distressed. He collapsed in Yuzuru’s arms sobbing and no amount of pheromones could calm him down. Yuzuru cuddled and comforted Shoma for hours before Shoma told Yuzuru what had happened.

Their second miscarriage occurred during Worlds, Shoma had stopped competing but he was training actively to stay in shape for ice shows. He had flown in to watch with Yuzuru because they had both helped several of the skaters competing. He was watching Nathan’s performance with Javier and Yuzuru when he began to have severe cramps. Shoma had smelt iron and quickly ran towards the bathroom. It had resulted in another tear-filled night instead of a celebration for the champion. Shoma was close to hysterics and refused to leave their room. Yuzuru had to eventually release his Alpha pheromones to subdue Shoma and get him to rest. The timing was absolutely awful because they had planned to announce their pregnancy after the gala performance. It had made both of them weary.

They continued to try but Shoma had failed to become pregnant. They had seen various doctors try to figure out why. The underlying thing the doctors said was, Shoma’s vigorous exercising prevented his body from producing enough hormones to get pregnant and keep it. Shoma had cut down his skating shows, ate vegetables, took supplements, received hormone shots, and done practically everything to carry their child. He had stopped taking all of his hormone suppressants even the ones that didn’t affect conception. He was forced to deal with unwanted advances and heats that were longer and almost unbearable as a result of the hormone shots. Even Yuzuru had stopped all suppressants to try and help Shoma.

“I understand Shoma, we can wait,” says Yuzuru, “and we don’t need to tell anyone else until you’re ready.”

“Thank you Yuzu,” says Shoma, “let’s stick to our close friends and family for now.”

“The media doesn’t even need to know you’re pregnant until you deliver if you want,” says Yuzuru. Shoma giggles at that and Yuzuru feels himself relax slightly, satisfied Shoma was in a better space.

“I won’t need that long, I just need a couple more weeks love,” says Shoma. Yuzuru kisses Shoma. “Now, let’s eat.” Yuzuru hands Shoma his plate that is almost two times the size of Yuzuru’s.

“Make sure you eat all of the vegetables,” says Yuzuru.

“I’ve been so hungry lately,” says Shoma, “I can probably eat all of this.”

“Good!” says Yuzuru, satisfied his mate will be well fed. “Also, who’s the doctor we’re going to? Hopefully, someone that is used to people like us,” says Yuzuru. During their various visits to doctors, many of them had been bad and some of them were okay. Many of them didn’t understand the lifestyle of a figure skater and how it affected the body. When they finally went to a fertility specialist recommended by Kikuchi they had managed to find someone who could lead them in the right direction.

“For primary care, I took the recommendation from Miki-san and Mao-chan,” says Shoma. Yuzuru nods, satisfied. Miki would know who to send Shoma to, she understood what it was like to be pregnant and skate. She had to make an even more difficult decision and managed to give birth and raise a wonderful daughter. Mao loved Shoma dearly and had an easy pregnancy with wonderful support from everyone. He trusted both of those women deeply.

“We’re having a dinner on Friday with all the skating boys,” said Yuzuru. They had made a habit of having dinners with all of the men’s skaters who competed during their time. Most of them either were still competing or were coaches so they were able to meet up post-competition.

“Okay! I’m looking forward to seeing everyone,” says Shoma excited.

“Everyone missed you at the dinner, Vincent was looking forward to seeing you,” says Yuzuru.

“Vincent?” asks Shoma. He was relatively close with Vincent after scaring away the overzealous figure skater but it was odd he wanted to see Shoma. They texted occasionally and were friendly but the language barrier often prevented them from having more complex conversations.

“He just said he wanted to talk to you, wouldn’t tell me why,” says Yuzuru.

“I’ll talk to him, I have a feeling it has something to with Nathan. Maybe I’ll meet up with him before the dinner,” says Shoma. Shoma finishes his plate and serves himself more. Yuzuru grins, pleased Shoma was eating everything.

“Look at you finishing all those veggies,” says Yuzuru.

“You did well cooking it,” says Shoma and Yuzuru beams at the compliment.

“You’re too good to me,” says Yuzuru adoringly, staring at Shoma. Shoma meets Yuzuru’s eyes and grins.

“I love you too,” says Shoma.

“Is it that obvious I was going to say that?” says Yuzuru.

“I see it in your eyes goofball, you’re easy for me to read,” says Shoma.

* * *

Shoma sat at his computer, frustrated. He was trying to finish some of his work but he couldn’t focus. He felt nauseous but didn’t quite have to barf. He also constantly needed to pee which was frustrating. Yuzuru had stocked up on a whole array of snacks to help with his nausea and he loved Yuzuru even more for it. Lemon water also had become his new best friend. This pregnancy was a completely new experience for both of them, this was the furthest they had made it and the symptoms Shoma had rarely experienced seem to come in full force for this pregnancy. Yuzuru had the difficult job of learning to ride out Shoma’s increasing moodiness.

Yuzuru came home to Shoma on the ground crying over pictures of baby Yuzuru. Yuzuru tried to creep up on Shoma to surprise and tease him, but Shoma caught him. As a result, Shoma had actually raised his voice and sat on the couch seething in anger. About half-an-hour later Shoma shuffled into their room that Yuzuru had exiled himself to voluntarily. Shoma looked like a guilty puppy and Yuzuru almost felt bad for laughing as Shoma apologized. Whenever Shoma was moody he comforted his husband with cuddles and back rubs knowing the pregnancy was taking a toll on him. Yuzuru’s pheromones also seemed to help Shoma relax. Shoma had also become increasingly needy for attention, whenever Yuzuru was home, he was all over him. At times he would even whine if Yuzuru wasn’t paying attention to him. It was odd for Yuzuru initially since he would usually initiate affection to the degree Shoma was currently, but he didn’t mind. He found it adorable and would take all kinds of pictures to have on his phone when he was at work.

Shoma was planning to meet with Vincent today before the dinner on Friday, figuring the man would want more privacy to discuss whatever he needed to. He decided he would empty the contents of his stomach before he left. He didn’t find the idea of puking in a public bathroom the most attractive. As he’s about to go to the bathroom his phone dings with Yuzuru’s Winnie the Pooh ringtone.

Yuzu-bear: _Can we have this for dinner? I know you are taking Vincent to eat meat..._

(Yuzu-bear sent an image)

Shoma giggles at the text message, Yuzuru is making a ridiculous face posed next to his computer with a picture of a huge bunch of kale. Shoma texts back a reply and smile to himself. He decides that he would wear Yuzuru’s shirt out for today, the one that was just short enough for him to fit but wasn’t too tight. His chest was becoming sore and it made him feel subconscious. Wearing something of Yuzuru’s made him feel more comfortable. It was like being hugged by Yuzuru. They had both taken to wearing each other’s clothes or at least something of the other person’s. It was a form of comfort for both of them since they needed to be apart.

Shoma empties his stomach of its contents and changes into Yuzuru’s shirt. He texts Vincent to confirm and makes his way to the train station.

* * *

Shoma feels a hand ghost over his butt. Shoma moves away, confused and horrified. The smell of the musty Alpha trying to grope him makes Shoma nauseous. His every instinct is screaming to get out. He rarely was touched on public transport because most people, if they didn’t know who he was, seemed to recognize he was a public figure. Shoma is unable to do anything, smashed by the sheer amount of people making the afternoon commute. He had taken public transport so he could meet with Vincent and take him out to eat. Vincent didn’t have a car while he was here in Japan and it was much easier for Shoma to meet up with him at the station nearest to Vincent’s hotel to ride to the restaurant together. Shoma is thankful for the opening of the subway doors and being able to exit. He walks quickly to the designated location, sensing someone following him. Shoma would turn around and tell the man to get away from him but draw attention to himself and end up on TV. That did not appeal to Shoma. He just prayed the man would get bored and stop following him.

He sees Vincent and Nathan ahead of him and he picks up his walking to get to them sooner. “Hey baby, you smell delicious,” says the man in English. Shoma swears to himself a creepy foreigner, great. He could really get in trouble if he fought a man from another country. That would be all over the news and that would be just awful. Nathan spots the man following him and walks over to Shoma with purpose, head held high and chest puffed out, hoping to scare the man away without making a scene.

“Hey man, stop it. He clearly doesn’t like it,” Nathan says, every ounce of Alpha in his voice. Shoma smiles at Nathan, grateful. The presence of another Alpha should scare the man away, minimizing a possible scene. Nathan nods at Shoma and places a gentle hand on Shoma’s shoulder, motioning for him to go to Vincent.

“Is he yours?” asks the man. “You should keep a better eye on him and put him on suppressants,” the man says in English.

“He doesn’t need to do anything for you to understand you shouldn’t be doing that kind of stuff,” says Nathan, the archaic notion of an Omega needing to be on suppressants so predatory Alphas wouldn’t attack them was disgusting. People were allowed to do what they wanted with their bodies and deserved respect no matter what. “Also dude, some advice, don’t go around being a sleazeball, especially in other countries.”

“Are you asking for a fight?” asks the man, squaring up. Nathan sighs he wasn’t about to fight some random man in another country. Nathan glances out of the corner of his eye, noticing the phone camera on him, they must’ve been recognized.

“Dude, just go, you hit on Yuzuru Hanyu’s mate,” says Nathan, “he’s the one you see in the advertisement over there.” Nathan point to a picture of Yuzuru squeezing a pillow and curses the photo for being so pleasant looking. The man takes a look at the advertisement, scoffs and suddenly looks around, finally noticing the increasing number of cameras.

“Whatever,” the man says, pushing through the crowd to get away. He is met with security and escorted out.

“Sorry, please do not film anymore,” says Nathan trying to get the cameras to stop filming them. He makes his way over to Vincent and Shoma. The crowd is quickly dispersed by security.

“Thank you,” says Shoma, “sorry you have to scare man away for me.”

“It’s okay, he should know better than to hit on someone,” says Nathan. “And I know that you didn’t want to cause a scene. The media would follow you for days if they found out what happened. I know what it’s like. People are so fascinated with your life they forget you’re real people sometimes.”

Shoma nods his head in thanks. He and Yuzuru had to deal with a large following of media when they officially announced they were together. Every little thing they did was scrutinized and publicised until people grew bored of their mundane, everyday life. “I would not ride if I knew that happen,” says Shoma. He forgot that people liked to hit on him even more now without his suppressants.

“You shouldn’t have to worry about that, Alphas shouldn’t be so limited to believing their primal desire deserves to be fulfilled by an Omega because they cannot control basic instincts,” says Vincent. Nathan looks at Vincent, proud and with love written all over his face. Shoma smiles to himself.

“You two will be okay right?” asks Nathan as he walks them to their transfer.

“Of course, I can be extremely scary if I need to,” says Vincent. Shoma and Nathan laugh and Vincent looks slightly offended.

“I’m just kidding Vince, you can easily knee anyone who tries to touch Shoma into the next dimension, you just don’t choose to. You’ll just make them time travel right? So they get stuck in space,” says Nathan. Vincent grins at that, pleased. Shoma smiles again, finding their shared dynamic adorable.

“Very cute,” says Shoma to himself. Vincent turns red and Nathan looks flustered.

“We will meet for dinner at the hotel right?” asks Nathan. It seemed as if Vincent had something important to tell him so Shoma just blocked the rest of his day off. Both of them would meet with their respective partners later in the day.

“Yes,” says Vincent, nodding his head. Nathan waves them goodbye as they get on the subway and goes off to find his own stop.

* * *

“So,” Shoma pauses, he used to care less about what happened in other people’s lives, content to playing video games and skating. Age and experience had taught him how to be a little more emotionally mature, especially being married to Yuzuru Hanyu.

“Um,” Vincent looks at him and fidgets with his hands; unsure, what to say. Shoma sits patiently, allowing Vincent enough time to formulate his thoughts. They sit in relative silence until they get off the stop, Shoma finds it slightly awkward but understands Vincent needed time. They manage to get a relatively secluded booth in the corner of a Yakiniku restaurant. After they finish ordering and awkwardly sip some water Shoma attempts to start the conversation again.

“You need help?” asks Shoma, cringing at the phrasing of his English. He sounded kind of mean. He really needed to study more.

“Yes, this is kind of embarrassing,” Vincent turns red slightly. As Shoma understood it Vincent was brilliant, Nathan’s intelligence was nothing to scoff at either. But it seems that everyone could fall prey to the awkwardness of romance.

“Here’s your meat,” says the waitress placing it on the table and Vincent looks even more embarrassed. The service was faster than either of them thought. Shoma feels bad for the man. It was awkward to open up about personal things to other people. Shoma begins to grill the meat giving Vincent some, trying to make him more comfortable.

“I don’t care,” Shoma pauses, wrong wording, “I can wait.”

“No, uh thank you for meeting me,” says Vincent, bowing awkwardly. Shoma bows back equally as awkward. It seems as if they were missing their more outgoing counterparts and were now unable to converse. “So, Nate and I are not actually together in the conventional sense,” says Vincent. Shoma lets the words go through his head, trying to figure out what exactly Vincent meant by “conventional.”

“You not together? But today…” Shoma looks at Vincent, confused.

“That’s why I’m confused,” says Vincent. Shoma takes in Vincent’s response and seems to process and register Vincent’s meaning.

“Wait, he no ask you formally to mate?” asks Shoma. Vincent nods and looks down at his hands.

“We take care of our needs, but—” Vincent pauses. “We hang out, a lot. They could be considered dates, but we aren’t even official in any capacity. He’s never really asked me out formally we just kind of hang out and sometimes have sex if we need to.”

“You two dating?” asks Shoma, giving Vincent more meat.

“No, we aren’t together,” answers Vincent. Shoma places a piece of meat in his mouth and chews slowly, thinking. Apparently, even the Quad King could be unaware of other people’s feelings. He shouldn’t be surprised, Yuzuru had his own quirks despite being Japan’s Ice Prince. Shoma and Yuzuru both did. That’s why they worked so well together.

“Does he know?” asks Shoma.

“How I feel?”

Shoma nods, “Does he know you want,” Shoma pauses and gestures with his hands, “more?”

“I’m scared to talk to him,” admits Vincent, Shoma reaches out and places a comforting hand on Vincent, emitting his Omega pheromones. Vincent relaxes, the presence of another Omega comforting.

“He will listen,” says Shoma.

“Are you sure?” asks Vincent.

“He loves you,” says Shoma, “even I see. His eyes.” Vincent blushes, fidgeting with his hands even more. “He just afraid to hurt you,” says Shoma. “He respect your boundary.”

Vincent nods in understanding, “How did you and Yuzuru start dating during your competition days?” Shoma looks at Vincent, slightly confused. “How did you know Yuzuru liked you?” Vincent simplifies the question.

“He told me,” says Shoma, “he very honest. But he not always best partner. We almost end many time.”

“Really?” asks Vincent, surprised. “I mean I know nobody is perfect, but you two always seemed so happy and got along so well.”

“We both try our best,” says Shoma, “lots of talk to stay like this. Relationship are commitment and hard work.”

“Oh,” Vincent pauses and for a moment Shoma sees the shy, uncomfortable 17-year old who had come to him telling him Nathan was about to fight someone and he didn’t know what to do.

“He very protective of you,” says Shoma. “Both you very smart, you will figure out,” says Shoma. Vincent smiles and Shoma grins, happy the man seems to understand what he was trying to convey despite his abysmal English.

“Thank you Shoma,” says Vincent, “for everything.” Shoma nods, understanding what Vincent was saying. His phone suddenly dings with a text notification from Yuzuru. He turns the volume off and it begins to vibrate aggressively with notifications. Shoma apologizes and takes a look at his phone screen and curses. They had ended up on the news after all.

“Fuck,” swears Shoma. Vincent looks at him concerned.

“Is everything okay?”

“We on news,” says Shoma, showing Vincent the news article.

“Oh no, will you have to be interviewed about this?” asks Vincent, understanding exactly how the ringlet of interviews occurred when something like this happened. Shoma’s phone begins to ring with the Winnie the Pooh ringtone again, this time with Yuzuru trying to FaceTime him. Vincent hands Shoma the phone back and Shoma apologizes once again, answering the call.

“Sho-puppy, what happened? Are you okay? Is the baby okay? Do you need a ride home? I should beat that man up. I should have gone with you today,” Yuzuru begins to babble and Shoma can literally sense his worry through the phone.

“Yuzu I’m with Vincent right now, we are okay,” says Shoma, trying to calm down his mate, “Nathan scared the man away.”

“Good, I will tell Nathan thank you. I don’t know what I’d do to myself if something happened to you and the baby.”

“If he really tried anything I would’ve beat him up Yuzuru, nobody can hurt me and my child,” says Shoma, his overprotectiveness over his child flaring. “I’m okay now, don’t worry.”

“I want to see you as soon as possible but I have two more clients,” says Yuzuru he looks almost devastated.

“Yuzu-bear finish your work and we will be able to cuddle all night long,” says Shoma. “I also want nothing more than for you to hold me,” Shoma admits softly, “but we have to finish the day love.”

“Okay Sho, stay safe and make sure you wear my jacket too. I should’ve worn that shirt of mine before you wore it,” says Yuzuru. Shoma smiles, happy his mate noticed he was wearing his clothes.

“Yes Yuzu. I will contact my manager to see if he can handle the media and prevent us from having to go through interviews. I really don’t want someone asking about my choice to stop taking suppressants. We all know where that will lead,” says Shoma.

“Of course Sho-puppy, I will contact people on my end as well. Let me say hi to Vincent really quickly,” says Yuzuru. Shoma hands the phone to Vincent, who takes it, surprised.

“He want to say hello,” says Shoma.

“Hi Vincent,” greets Yuzuru.

“Hello Yuzuru,” says Vincent.

“I hope my Shoma is being useful,” says Yuzuru. Shoma laughs at that.

“I’m always useful,” Shoma responds in Japanese.

“He’s been very helpful already, I’m sorry about the whole news thing.”

“Don’t worry too much about that, we have good managers for that reason. Please tell Nathan I said thank you.”

“Yes of course! Be well,” says Vincent, “I will see you on Friday.”

“Take care of yourself, Vincent, see you on Friday,” Yuzuru says with a smile. Vincent hands the phone back to Shoma. Shoma says goodbye and ends the call.

“I can tell he’s worried about you, even if I can’t understand Japanese,” says Vincent. “He’s so straightforward about his emotions,” Vincent looks thoughtful for a moment and Shoma giggles, knowing exactly what Vincent is thinking.

“It not always best have someone like that. He overemotional sometime. I don’t mind, but he sometime very extreme. Nathan has own charms, that why you love him.” Vincent turns red and Shoma smiles.

“You’re right,” Vincent says, “thank you for being straightforward with me.” Shoma nods and gives Vincent even more food.

“Eat, you need energy,” says Shoma. Vincent smiles and eats some of the food, reminded of his mother.

“Ah—even though Yuzuru is an Alpha I always took him to be the more nurturing figure. But, it seems as if I am wrong,” says Vincent. Shoma turns red and the gears in Vincent’s brain turn. He may not be able to figure out his own emotions but he could put two and two together. The suppressants and Shoma’s behavior…of course. “Congratulations,” said Vincent beaming at Shoma and Shoma looks at him, surprised.

“What?” asks Shoma, confused.

“Congratulations to both of you,” says Vincent and Shoma realizes what he’s talking about. Shoma turns an even darker red and Vincent laughs.

“Thank you, you can tell?” asks Shoma.

“Not at all, although your nurturing side seems to be blooming beautifully,” complimented Vincent.

“Thank you,” says Shoma bowing.

Vincent beams, “I’m ecstatic for the both of you,” says Vincent. “It can be very difficult for people like us to conceive.” Shoma nods his head.

“It very hard, I even have to eat vegetables,” says Shoma, contorting his face. Vincent laughs at that and pulls out his phone.

“I found a meme of you and vegetables,” says Vincent scrolling quickly through his collection of memes and showing Shoma juxtaposed on a bed of vegetables. Shoma frowns and then laughs.

“I no like vegetable even if I am 30,” says Shoma. Vincent laughs at that and shows Shoma a picture of Nathan holding a huge cabbage.

“We visited a garden together to do an ad for healthy eating,” says Vincent. He proceeds to scroll through his photo and Nathan looks awful in half of them and handsome in the other half.

“Nathan look scary in that picture,” says Shoma as Vincent stops on a particularly awful photo. Nathan’s face is distorted by a Snapchat filter, zoomed in, and aged with an aging app.

“Haha, we send photos like this to each other to see who can make the ugliest edits,” says Vincent.

“I have picture of Yuzuru too,” says Shoma pulling up a picture of Yuzuru mid-jump and zoomed in on his face.

Vincent laughs, “We all have bad mid-jump faces.” He shows Shoma a picture of himself mid-jump that is very funny looking. Shoma shows Vincent his own mid-jump photo that looks equally as funny. They continue to show each other photos of their partners and themselves doing various silly things. The two of them laugh so hard they both turn bright red. They end up talking and laughing for two hours before they realize the time.

“I have a drink for you, sir,” says the waitress as Shoma prepares to pay and leave. “And your check was taken care of.”

“Oh, I don’t drink alcohol,” says Shoma. “Who took care of the check?” The waitress just smiles mysteriously and places a cup of iced water with lemon on the table and Shoma looks at her confused.

“There’s someone waiting for you outside,” says the waitress. Shoma looks at the cup of water and Vincent. He shrugs if it was someone awful the waitress wouldn’t have taken the person’s request. He figures it’s someone he knows. Shoma finishes the water, hoping to soothe his stomach so he wouldn’t barf up the delicious food he just had. They both gather their jackets and make their way to the door.

As soon as Shoma pushes the door open he is greeted by the comforting smell of cedar. He turns his head to the smell and comes face to face with Yuzuru. Shoma’s eyes light up and he hugs Yuzuru tightly. Yuzuru returns the hug and Shoma can feel the stress and fear he was holding back from earlier leave his body. “What are you doing here?”

“I needed to make sure you were okay with my own two eyes,” says Yuzuru giving Shoma a kiss. Shoma’s happy pheromones are released and Vincent smiles at the two of them. “Hi Vincent, I guess we’re seeing each other earlier than Friday.”

“It appears so,” Vincent says, “you two are so sweet.”

“Thank you, Vincent,” says Yuzuru. Shoma has intertwined their hands and is beaming. “I have a surprise for you in the car.”

“For me?” asks Vincent.

“Yes, for you,” says Yuzuru with a self-satisfied grin. “Come with us to the car, we can take you home and give you your gift too.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to burden you,” says Vincent.

“Nonsense, follow me,” says Yuzuru. Vincent follows Yuzuru and Shoma to their car. They stop about 5 cars away and Yuzuru stops. “Let me grab it from my car. Vincent, close your eyes real quick. It’s a surprise. Shoma make sure Vincent doesn’t try to cheat.” Shoma nods and Vincent closes his eyes, confused. Why would Yuzuru have a gift for him?

“Vince,” says a familiar voice and Vincent is wrapped by comforting arms. The scent of Nathan overpowers his senses and Vincent can feel his heart race. “You can open your eyes silly.” Vincent opens his eyes and comes face to face with Nathan.

“Nate! What are you doing here?” asks Vincent, surprised. Shoma is leaning against Yuzuru comfortably watching. Yuzuru is grinning widely and whispering to Shoma, pleased with himself.

“I wanted to ask you something,” says Nathan.

“What?” asks Vincent. His brain short circuits for once and all the words in the world can’t seem to explain the way he feels.

“Vincent Zhou I’ve been too much of a chicken to ask you out formally but I’ve realized now how stupid I’ve been. We’ve spent so much of our lives together and it has been hilarious, wonderful, messy, lovely, and I’m not the one who’s supposed to do poetry…I’m not doing well with my words right now and I’m kind of skipping the asking out part by doing this. And I’m an idiot for not realizing we both wanted the same thing. Especially since we’ve done everything a couple does. So, uh, will you, Vincent Zhou bestow upon me the honor of being your mate?”

“Yes,” says Vincent, he is sniffling and throws his arms around Nathan, “yes Nate.” Nathan breaks out into a satisfied smile and kisses Vincent. Yuzuru cheers in the background and Shoma claps his hands excitedly.

“You finally asked me, Nate,” says Vincent, rubbing away his tears.

“Yuzuru helped me to realize I was being stupid. I figured I’d ask you as soon as possible to make up for all the time I never truly made us official,” says Nathan sheepishly.

“Better late than never,” says Vincent. Nathan smiles at that and kisses Vincent once more. Yuzuru and Shoma share a smile, happy.

* * *

“You pulled some strings there,” says Shoma as they sit side by side on the couch, decompressing their day. They had a habit of cuddling and talking on the couch to solve whatever was going on in their lives. It helped to keep their relationship healthy and it made sure they were in constant communication of their changing needs.

“Well my first client finished earlier than I thought and the other client canceled. I figured I would surprise you. I wanted to give you time to talk with Vincent so I called Nathan to thank him and ended up getting his whole side of the story. I decided to drag him along with me and it worked out wonderfully,” says Yuzuru proudly. Shoma giggles and headbutts Yuzuru gently.

“You’re a matchmaker now,” says Shoma.

“We both are,” says Yuzuru. He runs his hands over Shoma’s stomach. Shoma leans back, content. “Do you want to talk about the subway Sho-puppy,” asks Yuzuru gently.

“Mhm,” Shoma sighs, he seems to make himself even more comfortable in Yuzuru’s embrace. Yuzuru allows his Alpha pheromones to release, making Shoma feel safe. “I felt a hand over my butt on the subway and I moved away. I didn’t want to cause a scene and I thought he would stop but he ended up following me. Nathan scared him away for me,” summarized Shoma, interlocking his hands with Yuzuru’s playing with Yuzuru’s fingers as he talked to distract himself from the difficult subject.

“You didn’t deserve that Shoma,” says Yuzuru, “I hate that I couldn’t be there to do anything.” Shoma can sense the distress from Yuzuru and he lets out a little whine.

“It’s okay Yuzu, if I needed to I would have punched him,” says Shoma.

“You shouldn’t need to worry about someone touching you,” says Yuzuru, tightening his embrace around Shoma. “Every single instinct is telling me to lock you inside and never let you out. But that is irrational and that just isn’t possible,” says Yuzuru nuzzling Shoma’s scent mark. Shoma tilts his neck, offering it up for Yuzuru. Yuzuru bites it gently and Shoma lets out a pleased noise.

“It's instincts Yuzu, I understand. Everything is telling me to stay inside and let you guard me until I give birth,” says Shoma, “but as you said we both know that can’t happen.”

“How did I get such a reasonable and smart mate?” asks Yuzuru.

“We both just have common sense,” says Shoma.

“That’s questionable,” says Yuzuru with a giggle.

“That’s true, but at least we have social decency,” says Shoma.

“I can agree with that,” says Yuzuru. Yuzuru’s face goes dark once more, “But you know what I hate most of all? People will go around questioning why you aren’t on hormones when people shouldn’t even be touching strangers, to begin with. Our life choices are no one else's business.”

“It’s okay Yuzu-bear, we’ll figure it out, we always do.”

* * *

“Your baby is looking healthy,” says the doctor hovering the ultrasound over Shoma’s stomach. His stomach is still relatively flat, toned from years of skating and training. Shoma grips Yuzuru’s hand tightly. “Let’s see if we can hear the heartbeat,” the doctor turns on the sound and the baby’s heartbeat fills the room. Yuzuru already begins to tear up and he looks over at Shoma who is gripping his hand tightly and crying.

“There’s our baby,” says Shoma, in awe.

“Our child,” says Yuzuru with so much love in his voice.

“As I understand it, you’ve had some difficulty conceiving,” says the doctor as they wipe off the gel on Shoma’s stomach. Shoma nods. “I wouldn’t worry too heavily about it, for a lot of athletes, it is quite common to have some difficulties getting pregnant. Quite often, in my opinion, my peers make it so much more stressful for those trying to conceive that they can make things more difficult.”

“We had some difficulties finding a doctor who understood our situation,” admitted Yuzuru.

“That’s unfortunately all too common too. Both of you lead very specific lives that can affect the way your body functions. There is nothing wrong with that. You just need to approach things a little differently. Just like how Uno-san has his blades aligned a little differently,” says the doctor. Both Yuzuru and Shoma nod in understanding. The doctor was very patient and made understanding this new experience a little easier. “Now, once the results of Uno-san’s blood test come back I will let you know if there is anything you should watch out for. I have a list of prenatal vitamins that Uno-san can start. Please exercise very lightly. Try not to go around doing any crazy quads. Once the baby gets larger I would recommend lessening your ice time by a lot more.”

“Thank you,” says Shoma, nodding his head. Yuzuru is taking down notes on his phone, a habit from his training.

“One more thing, since both of you are off your suppressants I assume you will notice some changes. It is totally normal to want to have sex and as long as you stay safe and don’t try anything too wild you will both be fine,” says the doctor. Shoma and Yuzuru both turn bright red at the doctor’s comment. “A lot more couples ask about it then you think, I figure I would just tell you rather than force you to work up the courage to ask. Do you have any questions for me?”

“Should I worry about weight gain?” asks Shoma.

“It is completely normal to gain weight and also normal to not. As I understand you often have morning sickness. If you start having trouble gaining weight please let me know and we can discuss where to go from there.”

“Um,” Shoma paused, embarrassed, “I’m kind of small, should I worry?”

The doctor smiled reassuringly, “You will be fine Uno-san, your height will not affect your ability to carry a healthy baby. Do you have any questions Hanyu-san?”

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Just be supportive, you’re doing great already. I can tell,” says the doctor with a smile. “This will be very difficult and life-changing for the both of you. There will be many people with many differing opinions on what you should and shouldn’t be doing. The most important thing is to number one, listen to your doctor,” the doctor grins, “and number two do what feels right for you and your baby.”

“Thank you, doctor,” says Shoma.

“Of course,” says the doctor, “I will leave you two now. I will see you back at 12 weeks.” The doctor pauses before leaving, “I will have the nurse send a pdf of the ultrasound images.” Yuzuru and Shoma smile happily. The first appointment.

“We’re pregnant Yuzu,” says Shoma with tears in his eyes.

“We are,” says Yuzuru with a blinding smile. Yuzuru leans in and gives Shoma an affectionate kiss, “we are.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you like it! I unintentionally factored in some Nathan/Vincent.


	3. Month 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's an update! I really wanted to write a beach thing so yeah...
> 
> Also I don't re-read as closely as I should because I'm lazy af

“Yuzu do I look fat?” asks Shoma as he looked at himself in the mirror. He could see the slight indication of a baby bump which made him happy, but his face was regaining the weight he had lost through puberty. He felt like he was beginning to look like a child again. Also, his pants just didn’t quite fit the way they used to. The logical part of his brain knew he was gaining healthy weight, but the pregnancy hormone part was telling him he looked fat. Shoma had always been relatively secure in his appearance; he knew he wasn’t ugly and that his body was toned enough from skating so he could really care less. Yuzuru’s hands wrapped around Shoma’s waist and Yuzuru kissed his scent mark causing Shoma to shiver, the negative thoughts shedding away with Yuzuru’s comforting scent.

“I think you look beautiful no matter what. Even if you are gaining weight it doesn’t mean you’re ugly Sho-puppy. It means your body is preparing itself to house our child,” says Yuzuru affectionately. Yuzuru had practiced day in and day out what to say at this exact moment. He had even called Nobunari to practice the right wording. He wanted to make sure he wouldn’t offend Shoma and make him feel better about his changing body. After all, Shoma was the one who had to go through all the bodily changes. “Our baby is growing in there,” says Yuzuru gently caressing Shoma’s stomach. Yuzuru experiences a surge of pride and love as he feels Shoma’s baby bump. They had really managed to do it, Yuzuru unconsciously leaks out happy pheromones triggering Shoma’s. Shoma lets out a happy sound and leans back into Yuzuru’s arms.

“Thank you for reassuring me Yuzu,” says Shoma.

“Anytime Sho,” says Yuzuru gently placing an affectionate kiss on Shoma’s head.

“Apparently the article is released today,” says Shoma as he returned to getting dressed. Yuzuru and Shoma agreed to one article that they would be able to make edits to before release. It was nothing more than a clarification of the incident and a little bit of cheesy fanservice to hopefully prevent people from prying too much into their lives. They had both taken to avoiding social media for fear of what they would see on there. Their managers had done their best to control the spread of the story.

“Finally, is it going to be released in both English and Japanese?” asks Yuzuru.

“I think only Japanese but I’m sure the fans will translate and share it as soon as they get their hands on it,” says Shoma. Shoma finishes getting dressed only to hear his phone go off. Yuzuru grabs Shoma’s phone for him and answers it.

“Good morning Yuzu-kun,” says Shoma’s mother.

“Hello mother,” says Yuzuru politely. Both Shoma and Yuzuru were close to each other’s parents. They had spent many family dinners together and had taken long trips to visit each other’s hometowns.

“What happened to Shoma?” asks Shoma’s mother.

“What do you mean mom?” asks Shoma squeezing next to Yuzuru to fit on the screen.

“You look a little chubby dear,” says Shoma’s mother, Yuzuru covertly squeezes Shoma’s hand to reassure him. Shoma knew his mother meant well but it stung a little bit. “The subway?”

“Oh, it was handled mom,” says Shoma.

“When were you going to tell me you stopped taking suppressants?” asks Shoma’s mother. “Is this why you’ve been appearing less in ice shows?”

“Where did you find out I was off suppressants?” asks Shoma, pretty positive he made sure to omit that from the article.

“The video, your brother sent it to me when it was first released,” says Shoma’s mother.

“Oh—” Shoma pauses, he didn’t want to tell his mother the news only to get her hopes up and have them be dashed if he didn’t make it past the three-month mark. “I-uh,” Shoma stuttered over his words, unsure. Yuzuru’s stroked his lower back comfortingly and Shoma felt himself relax as he took in Yuzuru’s scent, it would be okay. “I’m pregnant mom.”

“You are?!” exclaims Shoma’s mother. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

“I was afraid that it wouldn’t work out,” says Shoma quietly.

“Oh Shoma, you know your family supports you no matter what,” says Shoma’s mother.

“Thank you, mom,” says Shoma.

“Please thank Nathan for me,” says Shoma’s mother.

“We will thank him again,” says Yuzuru, “I am so grateful he was there.”

“He’s a good young man. I also read the article this morning, it’s a good one,” says Shoma’s mother, “those media hounds should stay away.”

“I hope so,” says Shoma.

“They used to be so aggressive, always requesting to interview about your relationship,” says Shoma’s mother. “Even Itsuki got tired of answering questions about you two.”

“It died down eventually,” says Yuzuru, “the same will happen for this incident.”

“I saw the man got caught, did you have to testify?” asks Shoma’s mother.

“Yes but only briefly, the evidence on all of the cameras were more than enough,” says Shoma.

“Good, I’m sorry that had to happen to you dear,” says Shoma’s mother. “Punch back like I taught you next time.”

Shoma laughs good-naturedly at that, “I might be the one to get in trouble then. It’s okay if he did anything further I would have put my high kick to good use.”

“Good boy,” says Shoma’s mother. “Yuzu make sure to take care of my son.”

“Of course mother,” says Yuzuru, “doing my best to make sure both Shoma and the baby are healthy.”

“If he ever refuses to eat his vegetables let me know,” says Shoma’s mother. Shoma groans and Yuzuru laughs.

* * *

“Make sure to pack your sun shirt,” Yuzuru reminded Shoma as they packed their bags for the beach. After everyone had met for dinner they agreed that they all wanted to go to the ocean together. Well most of them agreed, Shoma and Yuzuru just agreed so they could spend time with their friends. The invite was extended to most of the skating community but as a result of everyone’s busy schedule, only a few of them were able to make it. It was a sizable group not so small that it would be lonely but not so large that they would need to reserve more than a couple of beach houses.

“I have the sun shirt but I can’t find the sunscreen. Did you pack it?” asks Shoma. Yuzuru holds up the plastic bag full of sunscreen and Shoma nods.

“You moved all the bags with our stuff to the front right?” asks Yuzuru.

“Yup, I can move it to the car too,” says Shoma.

“Just be careful to not carry something too heavy,” says Yuzuru. “I can bring down the heavier stuff once I finish grabbing the food.”

“I’m pregnant, not invalid,” says Shoma. Yuzuru placed a kiss on Shoma’s lips to soothe him.

“I’m sorry Sho-puppy you are strong and capable. Just stupid Alpha instincts telling me that you can’t do anything even though I know you can,” says Yuzuru.

“More kisses to say sorry then,” says Shoma with a pout. Yuzuru smiles at how cute Shoma was being and complies giving Shoma more kisses.

“I’ll grab our passport and IDs, then help you carry the rest of the stuff,” says Yuzuru. Shoma nodded and got to work. They both managed to fill their car with all of their things and left enough space for Nathan, Vincent, and all of their things. Shoma and Yuzuru agreed to take Yuzuru’s car because it was larger than Shoma’s compact car. They were going to pick the two of them up from their hotel and then take the flight to Okinawa. They had somehow convinced their managers to let them go and clear up their schedules for a week. It wasn’t often that such a large amount of figure skaters were free and would be able to fly to Okinawa for a brief vacation.

“The manager already arranged for someone to pick up our car right?” asks Shoma.

“Mhm, they’ll pick us up when we return too,” says Yuzuru.

“Great! I’m actually kind of looking forward to this,” says Shoma.

“I am too, as long as I don’t burn too badly in the sun,” says Yuzuru. Shoma giggles at that and pats Yuzuru’s hand sympathetically. Shoma and Yuzuru both didn’t often go into the sun because of the nature of their work, but if they did Shoma tanned slightly better. They were both still very pale and preferred not to be burned by the sun.

“I’m sure Javier will have fun tanning in the sun with his family,” says Shoma.

“Javi has always been able to tan while I burn,” says Yuzuru.

“It’s okay Yuzu, we’ll stay in the shade of the umbrella with our sun shirts and plenty of sunscreen,” says Shoma. Yuzuru smiles at that and reaches over to squeeze Shoma’s thigh affectionately.

“We’ll finally be able to spend some quality time together.”

* * *

“We made it,” says Nathan sprawling out on the couch. Vincent, Nathan, Shoma, and Yuzuru rented out one of the nearby beach houses. Other skaters would be coming in and out to stay for a day or two or just to hang out. Some of the other families had rented out houses nearby as well. They all tried to rent at a location that was as far away from people as possible but it was impossible to avoid all people.

“Move your ass over here and be helpful,” says Vincent.

“But you love my ass,” says Nathan which earns a laugh and a shove from Vincent.

“You won’t be getting any of my ass if you don’t start being helpful,” says Vincent. Shoma and Yuzuru giggle at the other couple’s playful dynamic as they begin to move their luggage into their room.

“How do you feel Sho?” asks Yuzuru.

“Tired, traveling makes me tired but I feel a lot more tired than normal. It’s probably the baby,” says Shoma. “I’m going to empty my stomach really quickly actually.”

“I’ll get you your toothbrush and some water,” says Yuzuru. Shoma nods and makes his way to the toilet to empty the contents of his stomach. He only had to barf after the plane landed so Shoma considered it a win.

“Here Sho-puppy,” said Yuzuru handing Shoma his toothbrush with toothpaste on it.

“Thank you, Yuzu.”

“Of course Sho,” said Yuzuru. “I’ll unpack everything and go shopping for some groceries, just lay down when you’re ready to Sho-puppy,” says Yuzuru. Shoma nods and finishes brushing his teeth. He makes his way back to their room and immediately lays down. The baby took a lot of his energy and it didn’t help Shoma was naturally a sleepy person.

“I can help cook later,” says Shoma as he watches Yuzuru unpack their things. He wanted to at least keep Yuzuru company if he was too tired to help.

“Don’t worry too much about it Sho-puppy. Take a nap, Vincent, Nathan, and I can handle anything else,” says Yuzuru. He crosses their room to sit on the bed next to Shoma. “Your body is changing so don’t worry if you can’t do everything you used to.”

“Mhm,” says Shoma, his eyes becoming heavy, he really was tired.

“When I get back from grocery shopping I can wake you up so we can watch the sunset together before everyone comes over for the party. I’ll force Nathan or Vincent to grill something,” says Yuzuru. Shoma giggles softly at that and turns over to tug at Yuzuru’s waist. Yuzuru lets Shoma pull him down to give him a quick kiss.

“Stay with me for a little bit,” says Shoma. Yuzuru nods, it wouldn’t hurt to close his eyes for a little bit. Shoma nestles himself into Yuzuru’s embrace fitting perfectly. Yuzuru’s hand finds its way to Shoma’s lower back, stroking it gently. Both of their scents mix as they fall asleep.

“Hey Yuzuru,” Nathan pokes his head into their room and stops when he sees both of them sleeping together. Yuuzru’s hand is resting gently on Shoma’s exposed baby bump causing Nathan to smile. He closes their door softly to allow them to rest. He would go shopping with Vincent.

* * *

Shoma stirs awake to the scent of barbecuing meat and people’s laughter. Yuzuru’s hand is resting on his stomach, his face is peaceful. Shoma smiles at the sight and leans in to kiss Yuzuru awake. “Yuzu-bear I think we both forgot to wake up,” says Shoma softly. Yuzuru’s eyes open slowly and he wraps his long arms around Shoma peppering his face with kisses. Shoma’s eyes crinkle into an eye smile earning him even more affection from Yuzuru.

“I was a little too comfortable,” says Yuzuru. Shoma laughs and nods his head at that statement. Yuzuru nuzzles Shoma’s scent mark and takes a deep breath. “You always smell delicious,” says Yuzuru. Shoma lets his head fall back, pleased.

“We should check on Vincent and Nathan, see if they need any help,” says Shoma. Yuzuru nods and gives Shoma an extra tight squeeze before they get up from their comfortable position on the bed.

“Everything still feels so surreal,” says Yuzuru.

“I still can’t believe we made it this far,” says Shoma. Yuzuru fixes Shoma’s bed head for him as best as he can. Shoma’s unruly curls only pop back up, refusing to lay flat. Yuzuru really hopes their child will have Shoma’s curly hair. It would be absolutely adorable.

“Neither can I Sho, but I’m proud of us so far,” says Yuzuru, he grips Shoma’s hand and squeezes it reassuringly. They make their way out into the living room where it appears half of the skating community is now sprawled out on.

“The two lovebirds are finally awake,” comments Misha with a beer in hand.

“Good to see you too Misha,” says Yuzuru waving at Misha.

“Shoma!” Alina makes her way over to Shoma giving him a tight hug, Shoma returns the hug. “You are absolutely glowing,” says Alina.

“Thank you,” says Shoma with a smile. Shoma had grown closer to Alina after doing numerous ice shows together. The Alpha girl had grown fond of Shoma, watching out for him even though he was older than her. When Shoma told her he was dating Yuzuru, the Russian girl told Shoma that she would hurt Yuzuru at the drop of a hat if he ever hurt him. Satoko had said something similar. Shoma found it touching and slightly terrifying that so many of the powerful women in his life were willing to fight for him. The idea of Alina or Satoko fighting his noodle man was kind of hilarious but also scary. Yuzuru’s hand snakes its way around his waist, bringing him slightly closer. Shoma leans in, sensing Yuzuru’s possessiveness. Both of them had adjusted relatively well to the change in hormones. They were more aware when the other needed something and adjusted accordingly.

“Hello Yuzuru,” says Alina greeting Yuzuru politely. “Your last show was amazing,” says Alina, “thank you for inviting me to perform.”

“Of course, it was great to have you and Evgenia together. The crowd loved it,” says Yuzuru. Evgenia as if she had heard her name comes over to join the conversation. 

“Hi Yuzuru, nice to see you,” says Evgenia giving him a hug. “Shoma we missed you at the dinner,” says Evgenia wrapping her arms around Shoma as well.

“How are you doing?” asks Yuzuru.

“Good, retiring from competitive skating is a huge relief,” she says. Shoma and Yuzuru both nod understandingly. Competitive skating took a certain degree of dedication and a large amount of time. After a while, no matter how much you loved it your body would begin to protest. If you wanted to skate for a long time you needed to take longer breaks. They all chat for a while before Shoma spots Keiji entering from the corner of his eye.

Shoma squeezes Yuzuru’s arm, “I’m going to say hello to Keiji.” He quickly nuzzles Yuzuru’s scent mark to reassure Yuzuru’s Alpha side before bowing politely to the two girls.

“Keiji!” says Shoma. “It feels like I haven’t seen you in a long time.”

“We just saw each other last week,” says Keiji.

“I miss having two tall idiots to make fun of,” says Shoma.

“Wait until I tell your husband that,” says Keiji.

“He would laugh,” says Shoma.

“He laughs at everything you say,” says Keiji, “he looks at you like you created the world. Well, you both look at each other like that, it’s kind of gross.”

“Wow there Mr. Salty what happened to you,” asks Shoma, “did your wife get mad at you again?”

“No, she actually is here. And, I’ll have you know as a model husband who cooks and cleans. She is rarely mad at me,” says Keiji.

“I don’t believe that,” says Shoma laughing. Keiji and Shoma had become extremely close as a result of rooming together. Keiji had always kept an eye out for Shoma as the Alpha who was closest to Shoma. He felt a certain degree of protectiveness over him. Once Yuzuru came into Shoma’s life in a more formal capacity Keiji stepped back. But, he was always keeping an eye out for Shoma who was like a little brother to him. Keiji was always more interested in other Alphas, so there were rarely any issues between them hormone wise. Keiji was always courteous about Shoma’s heats even if they didn’t affect him. He was usually the one to tell Mihoko so she could help Shoma clean up and figure out what to do for competitions.

“How are you doing?” asks Keiji seriously.

“I always seem to be tired but I’m happy,” says Shoma. “Yuzu and I are taking it day by day.”

“Good, if you ever need anything let me know, my wife and I are always here for you,” says Keiji.

“Thank you Keiji,” says Shoma sincerely, “your support means the world to me.”

“Here Sho-puppy,” says Yuzuru, handing Shoma a plate of food. “Nathan is the grill master right now.”

“Thank you Yuzu,” says Shoma, taking the food gratefully.

“Keiji, you’re looking good,” says Yuzuru patting Keiji on the shoulder.

“So are you, still bright as ever,” says Keiji.

“How is your wife?” asks Yuzuru. Shoma begins to eat, not realizing how hungry he actually was.

“She’s doing really well, she’s actually here now. She’s talking to Satoko I believe.”

“I’m so happy that so many people could be here,” says Yuzuru.

“Yuzu, over here, drink with us,” says Javier. He had joined Misha and some of the other skaters on the couches to chat.

“I’m not drinking but I’ll come over,” says Yuzuru. “If you need anything let me know love,” says Yuzuru.

“Don’t worry,” says Shoma squeezing Yuzuru’s hand, “have fun.” Shoma emits his comforting scent to reassure Yuzuru that he would be fine. “Now go, you’re cramping my style.”

Yuzuru laughs at that, “Okay, okay, I’m going.”

“He’s not partying too hard because of you isn’t he,” says Kana sliding up next to Shoma. "What a good mate, abstaining because you have to."

“Kana!” exclaims Shoma, giving her a hug. “It’s good to see you, I feel like I don’t get to see you enough.”

“We really don’t get to, that’s what I get for working part-time in America and part-time in Japan.”

“How’s your work going?” asks Shoma. “Any Olympic hopefuls? How are your children?”

“Always,” says Kana with a wink. “They’re doing great, I think I’m going to have to settle down in America soon. I can’t keep traveling back and forth. It’s hard to be a good mom but my husband is so understanding. Chris has been kind enough to watch them sometimes too. Our kids are super close. Enough about me though, tell me about you,” says Kana.

“Well, I’m ten weeks along and definitely feel like it. I don’t know how Miki did it while skating,” says Shoma. “It feels like I’m getting fatter, I’m always tired, and I always have to barf.”

“I think you’re doing a wonderful job so far,” says Keiji.

“Wow you can actually be nice,” says Shoma. Kana and Keiji laugh at Shoma’s sassiness.

“Really though Shoma, you have a pregnancy glow. I looked dreadful for the first couple of months. And for us athletes, you never know with pregnancy, some of us are lucky and others not so lucky.”

“It’s truly a mixed bag,” says Mao, joining in on their conversation. Shoma turns to Mao and smiles wide, happy to see her. He is immediately hugged by Mao and his hair is ruffled in every direction. “Shoma, when you called me I was so surprised.”

“I’d be a horrible kouhai if I didn’t ask you for advice first,” says Shoma, “you would be offended forever.”

“You aren’t wrong,” says Mao with a smile. Keiji waves goodbye to them and goes to join his wife.

“How is your son doing?” asks Shoma.

“He’s doing great,” Mao pulls out her phone, “here’s a picture of him on ice. He’s nailing quads.” Kana and Shoma both watch the video and clap in amazement.

“It’s truly amazing how quickly the younger generation learns,” says Kana.

“It’s scary, reminds me of what it felt like to be chased by all those younger talented skaters,” says Shoma.

“But that’s what makes the sport so fun,” says Mao.

“Of course, I would’ve never been the skater I was today if I didn’t have people to look up to and people following close behind,” says Shoma. He looks over in Yuzuru’s direction, affection coursing through his veins. Yuzuru seems to sense Shoma is looking at him and he meets Shoma’s eyes. They share a smile causing both Mao and Kana to giggle.

“You two are always so cute to watch,” says Kana. Shoma turns slightly red at that comment.

“I will never forget the day you told me you were dating Yuzuru Hanyu,” says Mao. Shoma told people slowly, not wanting their relationship to be too public. However, one of the first people he told was Mao. He had been bad about keeping in touch with people in general but some part of him felt like it was important for Mao to know. Shoma’s intuition had been correct, Mao had helped him multiple times with emotional and relationship struggles.

“You laughed at first,” says Shoma.

“I was shocked but also not really. Mihoko-sensei had been telling me about the ‘growing tension’ between the two of you,” says Mao.

“She did?” asks Shoma, surprised.

“Mhm, she even showed me pictures she took of you two looking at each other across the ice. Well, it was more like Yuzuru looking like he wanted to eat you and you had super red cheeks. Kanako, Yamada-sensei, Mihoko-sensei, and I all had a bet on when you would get together.”

“Why am I only finding out about this now?” asks Shoma.

“Because Mihoko-sensei won and we were all bitter,” says Mao.

Kana laughs at that, “It seems like we weren’t the only ones who had a bet.”

“I knew the pair skaters had a bet but I didn’t know that all of you had a bet too.”

“Your romance is pretty high profile,” says Mao.

Shoma rolls his eyes at that and laughs, “A little too high profile if you ask me.”

* * *

“Yuzu you can see my baby bump through the sun shirt,” says Shoma from the bathroom. Shoma had grown used to having his baby bump peeking out a little bit, although he insisted on wearing loose shirts most of the time. It made the pregnancy even more real for both of them. Seeing Shoma with his baby bump out made Yuzuru’s Alpha instincts soar in pride.

“Our little cub is going to have some ocean time today,” says Yuzuru.

“Mhm, make sure to apply sunscreen or else you’re going to look like a tomato,” says Shoma. Yuzuru smiles, the pregnancy was shaping Shoma’s caring, parental side; it was endearing.

“You don’t want me to look like your favorite vegetable,” says Yuzuru.

“None of the vegetables are my favorite so I’d prefer if you didn’t resemble a vegetable,” says Shoma.

“Not even for foreplay?” asks Yuzuru suggestively, wiggling his eyebrows.

“Keep the vegetables out of the bedroom,” says Shoma with a laugh. Shoma emerges from the bathroom and Yuzuru feels his heart beat increase. He crosses the room to give Shoma a kiss. Shoma’s baby bump was slightly protruding and Shoma’s swim trunks clung to his butt. Shoma’s whole body seemed to have embraced Shoma’s slightly curvy figure and emphasized it.

“You look beautiful Sho-puppy,” says Yuzuru. Shoma just giggles at the compliment and gives Yuzuru a kiss. Shoma’s hands roam over Yuzuru’s chest and his shoulders before leaning in to give Yuzuru another kiss.

“I don’t know if it’s because you’re off your suppressants, the tight shirt, or a combination of both but you look undeniably Alpha,” says Shoma nuzzling Yuzuru’s scent mark.

“No more suggestive comments, I want to be able to swim,” says Yuzuru. Shoma laughs and nods his head. Yuzuru makes sure to apply another layer of sunscreen and grabs his hat. Shoma does the same grabbing a wide-brimmed hat to cover his face.

“Are you two ready?” asks Vincent from the living room.

“Yeah, we’re coming down,” says Yuzuru. Yuzuru grabs their bag with towels and other miscellaneous items. Yuzuru also makes sure to grab the cooler with their lunches. They meet Nathan and Vincent in the living room. Nathan is equipped with a bodyboard and pool noodles while Vincent seems to be carrying four floaties.

“Do you need help?” asks Shoma.

“If you could carry two of these so I can carry our bags and the extra cooler, that would be great,” says Vincent. Shoma grabs the two floaties and Vincent picks up their beach bag and the cooler ready to go.

* * *

Yuzuru pushes the umbrella into the sand and sets up the beach chairs as Shoma sets up their area. They found a spot that was relatively isolated and had enough space for the rest of the figure skaters that would be trickling in. Nathan and Vincent had set their own umbrella up before promptly shedding their shirts and running into the water.

“If you need anything to drink I brought down our cooler,” says Yuzuru.

“Okay,” says Shoma as he leans back on his beach chair, sunglasses and hat in place.

Yuzuru giggles at the sight, “You look so cute.”

“We’re here!” exclaims Javier. His family following right behind him.

“Javi, I’m glad to see your whole family today,” says Yuzuru getting up to greet Javier’s wife and kids. Shoma follows suit, right behind Yuzuru.

“Are you pregnant?” asks Javier’s youngest. Javier’s wife scolds her daughter for being nosy, she knew the Japanese were a little more conservative in comparison to the Europeans. Shoma shakes his hands to say it was okay.

“I am pregnant,” says Shoma rubbing his stomach. Yuzuru wraps an arm around Shoma, proud.

“Wow, that’s cool. I can get pregnant too even though I’m a Beta. That’s what mom told me,” says Javier’s daughter.

“And you won’t be doing that for a very long time,” says Javier swooping in to lift up his daughter. She laughs happily and Javier’s wife watches with a smile.

“Come here and help your father set up our stuff,” says Javier.

“Congratulations on your pregnancy,” says Javier’s wife politely. “I’m sorry about my daughter.”

“Thank you,” says Shoma, bowing. “It really no problem.”

“Thank you so much,” says Yuzuru. She smiles a small, slightly strained smile.

“I will go set up now,” says Javier’s wife walking away.

“She doesn’t seem to like us too much,” says Shoma as they walk back to their umbrella.

“That’s because she always has to deal with hate on social media about how she stole Javier away from me,” says Yuzuru. “She likes us but it’s kinda hard not to be reminded of the constant harassment when she sees me. The fans have gotten much better but there are still some nasty ones out there. A lot of comments about how Javier is only with her because she’s an Omega.”

“That’s why we don’t have social media,” says Shoma, “I get enough of people’s opinions by just reading comments on articles and fan posts. I don’t need to have it all directed towards me.”

“We don’t need to blast our personal lives anyway,” says Yuzuru. “The fans get more than enough quality content from the rest of the skating community. If some of the pictures from the party were posted last night I’m sure the fans are going crazy,” says Yuzuru.

“I think Kana was the one who told me the article was getting a good response. My manager texted me to say the same as well.”

“I’m glad,” says Yuzuru squeezing Shoma’s thigh.

“No! Nate,” exclaims Vincent. Shoma and Yuzuru turn their head to spot Vincent being lifted up and dropped in the water. Shoma turns to comment and meets Yuzuru’s devious eyes.

“Don’t you dare,” says Shoma. Yuzuru has already stood up and sweeps Shoma up bridal style. Yuzuru runs towards the water and plops both of them in. Shoma squeals at the cold water.

“Surprise Sho-puppy!” says Yuzuru. Shoma rolls his eyes and pecks Yuzuru affectionately.

“Now my hat is wet,” says Shoma.

“It’s okay, it’ll still protect you from the sun.”

“Glad to see you join us,” calls out Nathan. Vincent is hanging off of Nathan’s shoulders as he balances on a pool noodle.

Yuzuru grins, “Your little prank there inspired me.” Yuzuru gets squirted in the eye by water from Shoma’s clasped hands. “Shoma!” Yuzuru turns around to get revenge but Shoma has swum over to Vincent and Nathan. Yuzuru swims over but Shoma is hiding behind Vincent.

“You can’t get me now,” says Shoma. Yuzuru smiles and splashes all three of them.

“Oh now it’s on,” says Nathan. He squirts Yuzuru in the face with water from the pool noodle. Yuzuru splutters and splashes Nathan before swimming after Shoma who has tried to escape again.

“Are you having fun without us?” asks Boyang as he joins in the fun successfully splashing Shoma. Shoma whines and Yuzuru’s protective instinct suddenly wins over and he swims over to Shoma and splashes Boyang. “Oho, Yuzu you’re asking for it.” Boyang brings out a water gun he had hidden behind his back and squirts Yuzuru.

“Aw don’t be too unfair,” says Misha tossing Yuzuru a water gun of his own. Yuzuru smiles and shoots Boyang in the stomach.

“Not my glorious abs,” says Boyang dramatically before shooting Yuzuru back. Misha shoots Boyang in the back before running into the water and swimming away. Nathan and Vincent swim closer to their pool noodle and spray Misha. 

Before long it turns into a full out water fight. Shooting and splashing each other like there is no tomorrow. Javier joins in the fun. There are dirty tricks pulled left and right. Eventually, everyone stops, exhausted.

“That was intense,” says Yuzuru leaning back against Shoma who had tapped out early. That didn’t stop Shoma from being sprayed a couple times in the face on accident, Yuzuru did not like that. People quickly learned to stay away from Shoma if they didn’t want to be hunted down and sprayed non-stop by an overprotective Yuzuru. Shoma wraps his arms around Yuzuru’s torso as Yuzuru floats, legs out in front of him. Yuzuru leans back, content.

“It’s like everybody’s hyper-competitive spirit was magnified,” says Shoma. Shoma had watched Boyang squirt Vincent in the back of the head and then promptly get tackled by Nathan. Misha had full on dunked Javier in the water before he was lifted up and thrown in as revenge.

“Mhm,” says Yuzuru.

“Thank you for protecting me Yuzu-bear,” says Shoma.

“Of course Sho-puppy,” says Yuzuru, “I was protecting our little cub too.”

* * *

Can I have a picture with you please?” asks a young woman as she approaches Shoma and Yuzuru’s umbrella. The rest of the figure skaters were in the water swimming and having fun. Yuzuru and Shoma came out of the water to reapply sunscreen and rest. Shoma and Yuzuru wanted to make sure they didn’t burn or get too fatigued from the sun. They had lounged around, Yuzuru reading and Shoma playing games enjoying being in each other's presence. 

“Oh, um,” Yuzuru looks over at Shoma who is out of the woman’s line of sight, sipping at his vegetable juice and eating a sandwich made out of leftovers, stomach clearly visible through his wet shirt. “Is it okay?” asks Yuzuru. Shoma nods his head before looking down at his stomach.

“Towel,” says Shoma, Yuzuru nods and hands Shoma a towel.

“Sure!” says Yuzuru. She smiles and gets ready to pose for a selfie with Yuzuru. Shoma sniffs the air and frowns, another Omega. She smelled like a threat, Shoma stands up suddenly and leaves the shaded area to join Mao. He needed to get away before he did something rash and exposed himself.

“What’s going on Sho?” asks Mao as she sits under her own umbrella relaxing.

“Omega over there is making my instincts go crazy,” says Shoma motioning towards the young woman taking pictures with Yuzuru. Yuzuru noticed the absence of his mate immediately and was looking at Shoma lost. Shoma shakes his head and indicates he’ll tell him later.

“It’s okay Sho,” says Mao ruffling his hair, “your hormones are being unreasonable.”

“I don’t like it,” says Shoma.

“Just think of it as it’s all your body’s way of trying to protect the little baby in there,” says Mao. Shoma nods and relaxes a little. He trusts Yuzuru. Yuzuru as if hearing Shoma's thoughts wraps his arm around Shoma’s waist, worried. He places a gentle kiss on Shoma's scent mark to let him know he was still loyal.

“I’m sorry about that Sho,” says Yuzuru.

“It’s okay,” says Shoma, leaning into Yuzuru to let him know he wasn’t actually angry. He continues to eat, pleased his mate was holding him.

“You’re taking good care of my baby Shooms right?” asks Mao.

“I would never think of hurting him,” says Yuzuru.

“Good,” says Mao. “You know a large majority of the skating community would come after you anyway.”

“Don’t threaten him, he’s doing his best,” says Shoma.

Yuzuru nuzzles Shoma’s head affectionately, “It’s okay Sho I signed up for a hive of protective women and Keiji when I mated with you.”

“I think I signed up for the rest of Japan,” says Shoma. Yuzuru and Mao laugh at that.

* * *

“We’re leaving now,” says Nathan. Vincent and Nathan had dressed up to go out and eat at a nice restaurant.

“Okay, have fun on your date night,” says Yuzuru. Shoma was currently taking a shower.

“We will, thank you,” says Vincent.

“Nathan be a gentleman,” shouts Yuzuru teasingly after Nathan. Nathan turns around and winks at Yuzuru and shoots a thumbs up. Yuzuru watches as the rental car lights fade from view. Shoma emerges from the shower, hair wet, large clothes clinging to his small frame.

“Can you run the product through my hair?” asks Shoma, a bottle of product in his hand. Shoma had begun to put product in his hair after his mother had scolded him for not taking better care of his hair even though he was a full grown adult. Shoma told his mother that Yuzuru didn’t care what he looked like and he went to a salon often enough which earned him another lecture.

“Come here Sho,” says Yuzuru. Shoma joins Yuzuru on the couch and Yuzuru shifts around so he can put product in Shoma’s hair. He runs his hands through Shoma’s hair and smiles as Shoma lets out a pleased sound. Shoma liked it when Yuzuru played with his hair. It was a small thing they did to relax when they had time, Yuzuru would play with Shoma’s hair and talk about their day.

“How has it been for you so far?” asks Shoma.

“The vacation?”

“Mhm.”

“It’s been a lot of fun. It’s nice to be able to see everyone relax and just let loose a little bit,” says Yuzuru. Shoma lets out an affirmative noise to let Yuzuru know he’s listening. “It’s a more relaxed version of ice shows.” Yuzuru begins to massage Shoma’s scalp and smiles as Shoma’s happy pheromones are released.

“It’s nice to see everyone outside of the ice rink sometimes,” says Shoma.

“For sure,” says Yuzuru. “More people will be coming tomorrow.”

“Good. I missed seeing a lot of people when I didn't go to the post-competition dinner,” says Shoma he leans back, tired.

“Want to go to bed now?” asks Yuzuru sensing Shoma's fatigue. He was more attuned to Shoma's needs now he was off suppressants. There were things he noticed because of how long they were together, but subtle changes became more obvious to him as well.

“No, let’s watch something before we go to bed,” says Shoma. Yuzuru reaches for the remote and turns the TV on. The news appears and they find their faces plastered on the TV.

“What is this?” asks Yuzuru turning the volume up.

“Yuzuru Hanyu world-renowned figure skater has been spotted with his mate Shoma Uno in Okinawa. They are joined by a large number of other figure skaters—” Yuzuru turns the TV off.

“Well, so much for privacy,” says Shoma.

“It’s okay, people are generally respectful enough to not stalk us all the way to Okinawa,” says Yuzuru. “Dang news spreads really fast.”

“There’s not much we can do about it. At least they didn’t catch the baby bump or did they?” asks Shoma. Yuzuru picks up his phone to check the trending news.

“Nope, just a couple of speculating comments nothing more. People are just generally happy to see us outside.”

“That’s nice,” says Shoma. “Maybe we can announce it when we get back.”

“Are you sure?” asks Yuzuru.

“A couple weeks after we return it’ll be our second trimester. I feel okay about it,” says Shoma.

“Okay love,” says Yuzuru putting an arm around Shoma’s shoulders.  

“Let’s do something really dramatic,” says Shoma.

“Dramatic? Am I rubbing off on you?”

“Maternity photo shoot, that way my mother will stop bothering me for photos. We can also send it to your family. Plus, we’ll make fans happy and it’ll be a classy announcement.”

“Since when have you become social media planning master?”

“Since my hormones decided I wanted to be a show-off,” says Shoma.

“If you really want to do it I can arrange for it,” says Yuzuru.

“Only if you want to do it too,” says Shoma.

Yuzuru laughs, “Of course I want to do it. We should do it on ice before it gets too dangerous for you to skate.”

“I don’t think I’ll fit into any of my skating costumes,” says Shoma.

“We can have matching costumes made, a program choreographed, and do an ice show,” says Yuzuru. His eyes light up as he explains with his free hand.

Shoma laughs, “No, that’s a little too much Yuzu.”

“Winnie the Pooh themed,” suggests Yuzuru which earns a headshake.

“Maybe for the baby shower but not for photos.”

“How about vegetable themed?” asks Yuzuru.

“No, definitely not,” says Shoma. “How about we do some on the ice and then some off the ice. For the ice photos, we can imitate some of those ice dancers. It’ll be fun and a little dramatic.”

“Ohh I like that,” says Yuzuru.

“We can figure out the other photos later,” says Shoma.

“Okay love,” says Yuzuru kissing Shoma.

“I’m looking forward to everything,” says Shoma. Yuzuru nods and Shoma leans his head against Yuzuru’s shoulder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are so many figure skaters I wanted to write in but that would be too many words. So they may make an appearance later on. Also, have to love how Shooms is changing bit by bit just like Yuzu. Pregnancy does that to people.
> 
> Let me know what you think!
> 
> posted a little something-something for those of you who like some more risque stuff


	4. Month 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so it's finally here. I didn't proofread that well, I'm sorry. I can only re-read so much before I go slightly crazy (I'm also lazy as hell).
> 
> I did my best to research what pregnancy is like in Japan (the ungodly amount of tabs open are a testament to this), but my assumption is Shoma and Yuzuru would use a bit of everything as a result of Yuzuru living in Toronto and hanging out with foreigners. I know more about Western practices and thoughts in regards to pregnancy so my bias probably shines through. 
> 
> If you haven't already some of the fics I've written for Future provide some good 'ole background and character development. It's not at all necessary to read it though.

Their outdoor shots had gone well, staged in a nearby park. The location was secluded enough that the two of them weren’t as worried about doing ridiculous couple things in public. However, the part they were most excited about was the shooting in the rink. They had reserved the whole rink for a good three hours. The ability to reserve a whole rink with little to no cost was of course in part due to their connections and fame as figure skaters.

“Alright Yuzuru place your hand on Shoma’s waist and skate,” says the photographer.

“Together!” emphasizes Kana. She was watching from the side, giving them poses and tips on how to look like they actually skate together instead of as individuals. She was also there for moral support and to help them finish in time. They had spent a good 20 minutes playing and fooling around on ice before they were herded over by Kana to actually take some staged photos. The photographer had taken many photos of them standing still and some excellent ones of them skating together. The last few were the ice dancing poses they decided to do for fun.

“Perfect,” says the photographer. Yuzuru and Shoma had manage to match up and were skating in unison. Both of their legs flew out together and they look absolutely beautiful. Yuzuru dips Shoma back and for a moment it almost seemed like they could’ve done well in ice dancing if they weren’t both men. They both abruptly stop and skate to the edge of the rink.

“I don’t know how you do that,” says Yuzuru, “it’s so difficult to match up.”

“It’s a different art,” says Kana. “You two look unfairly beautiful together.”

“Thank you,” says Shoma with a smile. They had worn simple practice clothes. They wanted more of the focus to be on the two of them for these photos rather than their attire.

“Can you do a jump?” asks Kana, curious.

“No, he can’t,” says Yuzuru, hand wrap around Shoma’s side, bringing him close. His Alpha pheromones leaking out. He was worried that Shoma would hurt himself.

“I can,” says Shoma.

“Are you sure? I don’t want to push,” says Kana.

“Let’s do at least one, together,” says Shoma, turning his puppy eyes on Yuzuru.

“Fine, but no quads,” says Yuzuru.

“Not even a toe loop? The doctor says I can do more exercise now that I’m further along,” says Shoma. He sees Yuzuru’s disapproving eyes and modifies his request, “Just one triple axel.”

“Okay,” says Yuzuru. They skate off and skate in tandem, the photographer snapping photos as they launch into their triple axel. They launch and manage to turn almost simultaneously. Yuzuru lands it cleanly but Shoma falls onto his butt, not use to jumping with the extra weight he was carrying. Yuzuru skates straight over to him, worry clear in his eyes.

“I’m okay, I promise. I fell on my butt” says Shoma sheepishly. His hands are cradled around his stomach protectively. He lets Yuzuru help him up to worriedly sniff and nuzzle him.

“Be careful,” says Yuzuru adjusting Shoma’s clothes and dusting him off.

“I will Yuzu-bear, I forgot that it would be different with our baby,” says Shoma gently rubbing his stomach. Yuzuru’s hand naturally caresses Shoma’s stomach, he places his hand over Shoma’s, a gesture of comfort for all of them.

“Your Papa is a little clumsy but it’s okay, your Daddy will make sure your Papa doesn’t hurt himself,” says Yuzuru. The photographer silently took photos of the intimate moment. Yuzuru and Shoma exchange some quiet words before they nod and return to skating.

“Let’s do some spins,” says Shoma, more energetic as his pregnancy moved on. His morning sickness had faded and was replaced by energy.

“Are you sure?” asks Yuzuru, still worried.

“Yes! I don’t feel sick anymore so let me skate,” says Shoma.

“Whatever makes you happy Sho-puppy,” says Yuzuru. Yuzuru was glad to see Shoma on ice. It had improved his mood greatly. Yuzuru knew how the morning sickness had dampened Shoma’s mood. Even though Shoma was a homebody he didn’t enjoy being stuck at home all the time. He wanted to go out and skate. They began to spin together, Yuzuru being extra flashy. Shoma’s eyes light up and he increases the difficulty of his spins, his pregnant stomach occasionally flashing. They both stop, meet eyes and giggle.

“You still do tummy flashes,” says Yuzuru.

“My fans love it,” says Shoma.

“So do I, especially because of the little one,” says Yuzuru proudly patting Shoma’s baby bump.

“Ew it smells like Alpha overcompensation,” says Shoma. Yuzuru laughs and ruffles Shoma’s hair.

“Yuzuru are you strong enough to lift Shoma?” asks Kana from the other side of the rink.

“Yes?” says Yuzuru.

“Can you do this?” asks Kana demonstrating with Yuzuru’s Pooh.

“Yes,” says Yuzuru, confidently. They skate off together and they turn to face each other, both unconsciously smiling as they meet eyes. Yuzuru’s hands' position around Shoma’s hips and he lifts Shoma off the ground for long enough for the photographer to get the photo before placing him down.

“You made my heart flutter,” says Shoma giggling before kissing Yuzuru. Yuzuru smiles and returns Shoma’s kiss. They both were increasingly affectionate with each other as a result of a myriad of things, not limited to the baby, hormones, and happiness.

“I’m jealous of how cute you two look,” says Kana from the side. Yuzuru exaggeratedly bows earning laughter from everyone in the rink.

* * *

 

“I like this one,” says Shoma leaning over Yuzuru’s shoulder as they were looking at the photos. Yuzuru was caressing Shoma’s stomach after Shoma had fallen on his butt. It was an intimate photo that clearly showcased how much they loved each other.

“I’ll add this to the photos for the media,” says Yuzuru.

“This one too,” says Shoma. It was Yuzuru and Shoma underneath a tree, laughing together. It was taken in between shots, they were having a silly conversation about Shoma cosplaying as a game character.

“Ooh, I like that one too,” says Yuzuru adding it to the folder. “Both of our parents will be so excited. My mother has been itching to tell people.”

“I feel bad,” says Shoma. He wanted to wait to tell people, not wanting too many people to know just in case he lost the baby again. But now they had passed the first-trimester mark, the chances of the baby surviving had increased, he was okay with the masses knowing about his pregnancy.

“Don’t feel bad love,” says Yuzuru, “you’re the one carrying the child. It should be on your time.”

“Thank you Yuzu,” says Shoma placing his hands on Yuzuru’s shoulders. Yuzuru pats Shoma’s hand comfortingly as he continues to sort photos.

“The same outlet from last time is writing the article right?” confirms Shoma.

“Yes, they did a good job so we’re going to continue with them,” says Yuzuru.

“We’re also compiling a comprehensive information sheet for JSF if there are any questions right?” says Shoma.

“Yup, our manager has that sent over already,” says Yuzuru.

When their engagement was publicized the fans went crazy. It was a miracle Yuzuru was able to get the audience involved for the engagement with minimal backlash. They had done a relatively good job of keeping their relationship on the down low for three years before they were married. Only those in the skating community were aware of their relationship. The JSF had to issue an official statement to affirm that the two of them were indeed engaged. There were letters after letters sent to JSF, most of them congratulations, some hate mail as always. It was stunning the amount of support the two of them received. They had received large amounts of money, good luck charms, even kitchen appliances in the mail as wedding gifts. The JSF had to sort through all of the mail and send it to them. They made a long wedding video documenting practically everything, they had it subbed in multiple languages, and published it online for free to thank the fans.

“You know what I realized,” says Shoma.

“What love?”

“The post-ice-show dinner is coming up,” says Shoma. After most of the ice shows finished, pre-competitive season, there was a large dinner put on by the ISU for figure skaters. It was mainly a publicity thing and they were usually themed. They also provided a great opportunity for skaters to catch up on their lives.

“I haven’t forgotten,” says Yuzuru with a grin swiveling his chair around to face Shoma.

“Are we planning on continuing to match?” asks Shoma. Shoma and Yuzuru always matched during these dinners ever since they started dating. It was initially just their tie, something that most people wouldn’t notice. Both of them didn’t understand fashion so it was simpler to match ties than to match both the theme and ties. As they got older and Yuzuru got more excited about these dinners, he leaned towards more complicated ensembles. Shoma indulged, allowing his husband to dress him as he liked. Their costumes were not limited to galaxy undershirts, tattoo shirts, and full on cowboy attire.

“Hmm, well since my beautiful husband is pregnant and the theme is something Disney related,” says Yuzuru, “I was considering a little something different.”

“I’m not dressing up as that kangaroo from Winnie-the-Pooh because I’m pregnant,” says Shoma, flat toned and unamused.

Yuzuru’s eyes widen, “I wasn’t going to suggest that, but now that you mention it—”

“What was your original plan?” asks Shoma.

“Aladdin!” says Yuzuru, excited.

“No, I am not exposing my stomach, you can expose your six pack if you want,” says Shoma.

“Okay, I figured you wouldn’t agree with that, so,” Yuzuru pauses, “I might’ve had something made for the both of us.”

“You did?” asks Shoma, surprised, Yuzuru rarely went all out in this manner for the post-show dinner.

“I’ve noticed that you haven’t been feeling the same about your body,” says Yuzuru. “So I had something made that I think will make you feel like the beautiful, wonderful, amazing person you are.”

Yuzuru swivels back around and brought up the piece he had made. It was reminiscent of Cinderella’s ball gown. It was a beautiful deep blue with a plunging neckline, ruffles, and multiple folds of beautiful gauzy fabric. It almost appears as if Shoma was wearing a cape. Yuzuru’s costume was a simple, but elegant rendition of Prince Charming’s attire.

Shoma realizes that both of the pieces had nods to Seimei and Turandot, the costumes they wore when they first medaled together in the Olympics. Shoma’s eyes widen, grateful for Yuzuru’s attention to detail. He was also grateful that his husband had picked up on his insecurities. They were something he never had to deal with before and didn’t quite understand how to cope with.

Shoma felt himself getting uncharacteristically emotional, “Thank you,” says Shoma leaning down to kiss Yuzuru in his swivel chair. Yuzuru smiles and nuzzles Shoma’s scent mark, their scents mixing.

“You deserve to feel beautiful. I had a crown made for both of us,” says Yuzuru.

“We better win best dressed,” says Shoma.

“If we don’t I’ll be very upset,” says Yuzuru.

Shoma giggles, “We’ll have released the article by then.”

“Yes, so we’ll have to answer all of those questions,” says Yuzuru.

“I’m not ready for that,” says Shoma.

“Don’t worry, I’ll try to do most of the talking,” says Yuzuru.

“Thank you, my Prince Charming.”

* * *

 

“Shoma you look absolutely stunning,” says Maia giving Shoma a tight hug. The costume Yuzuru made fit perfectly and Shoma had to admit that he looked good. Even Shoma thought they looked straight out of Cinderella, a very gay Cinderella.

“Thank you, look very pretty,” says Shoma. Maia and Alex wore costumes reminiscent of Luke and Leia.

Even though they didn’t spend nearly as much time together with families of their own, they were still close. Maia and Alex were known for joining their respective families together to do activities. Their popularity and YouTube channel skyrocketed even more with the addition of their children. Shoma found himself occasionally watching their videos, admiring their large family. It was a bittersweet feeling, balancing the frustration of failing to get pregnant but also knowing that there was a possibility he would be able to have that one day too.

“Hi there little one,” says Maia bending down to say his to Shoma’s bump. “How are you doing?”

“Baby grow big,” says Shoma, “show more because I small.”

“How are you doing Shoma?” asks Maia. “Is pregnancy hard on you?”

“I okay, no more barf in the morning,” says Shoma, “now I want to eat more.”

“I get you, my first baby gave me horrible nausea,” says Maia. “Once you get past the first trimester it’s a little more smooth. It gets tough again when you hit third trimester. Enjoy the glowing skin and beautiful hair. The puffy ankles are the worst.”

“I worry I can not put skate on,” says Shoma.

“Miki was able to skate practically the whole way,” says Maia.

“I don’t know how Miki can skate,” says Shoma.

“Neither do I,” says Maia.

“I fell on triple axel because I not used to weight,” says Shoma pouting.

“It’s okay, it’ll come back to you. Not everyone is lucky to have an easy pregnancy,” says Maia.

“How you have two?” asks Shoma.

“I wanted another sibling for my oldest,” says Maia. “Probably because of the way Alex and I were.”

“Same, because my brother. But I don’t know I can do this,” says Shoma gesturing to his stomach.

“It usually gets easier,” says Maia. “I was able to do much more with my second pregnancy. I felt amazing in comparison to my first.”

“I hope so,” says Shoma.

“How is Yuzuru holding up?” asks Maia.

“Good! He excellent Daddy,” says Shoma. “He do everything for me.”

“That’s so sweet,” says Maia. “Is your back okay?”

“A little sore but I do stretch to help,” says Shoma. “Yuzu and I do stretch in morning,” says Shoma. Yuzuru and Shoma had taken pregnancy classes together to prepare for the upcoming months. They did the exercises together in the morning, a new routine that helped Shoma to feel somewhat in control of his changing body. He was still flexible but there were things that he had to accommodate for now with his growing stomach.

“Aw, that’s so nice,” says Maia.

“Excuse me, sorry to interrupt but could I interview you?” asks one of the media people.

“Uh—”

“Does he need to interview you? I’ll catch up with you later on,” says Maia waving goodbye, moving to join her brother.

“Sorry, we haven’t been able to receive a lot of information regarding your pregnancy,” says the interviewer. “We didn’t even know you were the one to carry the baby, until recently,” says the interviewer gesturing towards Shoma’s protruding stomach. Shoma forgot that they hadn’t revealed their secondary genders to the public, not finding it necessary.

“Yes,” says Shoma awkwardly.

“How far along are you?”

“About 14 weeks,” says Shoma.

“Will you continue to skate while pregnant? We haven’t seen a lot of you in ice shows.”

“I cut back on ice shows to focus on our health,” says Shoma gesturing towards the baby and himself. “I will not be skating as much as I have previous seasons. I will focus more on my other career.”

“Has this pregnancy been hard for you?” asks the interviewer.

“It has not been easy but Yuzuru has been wonderful support,” says Shoma. “All the struggle is worth it, Yuzuru and I have wanted a child for a very long time. I’m doing my best to stay healthy and make sure this baby grows big and strong.”

“Do you know the sex yet? Do either of you have any preference?”

“We won’t be able to find out the gender for another couple of weeks. Yuzuru and I are happy with either sex.”

“There have been pregnancy rumors for the past couple of years. Could you speak on that? Shoma took a deep breath, this question was difficult for him to answer. Yuzuru had gone to a temple to mourn and go through the proper ceremony for them and their unborn babies. He was grateful his husband had done that, it gave both of them closure. He was unable to leave the house, his body still rejecting the fetus and his hormones and emotions coursing through his body.

“We have had difficulties getting pregnant,” says Shoma pausing, choosing his wording carefully. “I had miscarried—” Shoma stops again. He had grown proficient at speaking with the media, he didn’t have the same charm as Yuzuru but he could get by. He had at some point become known for falling asleep during interviews and used that to his advantage, sleepily charming the audience. But now, this was not something he could sleepily rub his eyes or giggle away. “Skaters often struggle to get pregnant because—” Shoma couldn’t talk about this. It was something so personal and still raw. It was only a couple of weeks ago that he was holding his breath, worried about losing yet another pregnancy. Shoma’s eyes scan for Yuzuru, he needed his mate. A comforting scent hits him and a warm hand finds its way around his waist. He leans into Yuzuru, allowing the cedar scent to ground him.

“What were you asking my husband?” asks Yuzuru.

“In regards to pregnancy rumors that have been floating around for the past couple of years?”

Shoma could sense the subtle change in Yuzuru’s demeanor, “Shoma has been working very hard to make sure our child is growing properly. I truly admire my husband for all the hardships he has gone through throughout the years and how strong he has emerged from them. He truly has an incredibly strong mind,” says Yuzuru.

“Thank you for joining us Yuzuru, what an unexpected surprise,” says the interviewer. “Do you have anything you wish to say to your fans?”

“You thought I’d be the one to get pregnant huh?” says Yuzuru jokingly. “Just kidding, thank you so much for all the support, Shoma and I deeply appreciate it.” They both bows and Yuzuru cut in before the interviewer could continue, sensing Shoma’s growing desire to get away from answering questions. “I’m sorry to be rude but is it okay if I steal my husband away?”

“Yes, of course.”

“I would love to answer more of your questions but I need to make sure that he eats something. I don’t want him to get too caught up in conversation and forget to eat. If you have any more questions please talk to our managers,” says Yuzuru steering Shoma away from the interviewer. The interviewer nods and bows. “I forgot how persistent they can be,” says Yuzuru once they are out of earshot.

“Thank you for rescuing me, I don’t think I could answer another awkward question about pregnancy. It feels weird for it to be so public,” admits Shoma.

“Are you okay? Did he ask about our two other children?” asks Yuzuru. Shoma was grateful that Yuzuru had decided to refer to them as their two other children. Although they were never carried to term they were still very much a part of their experiences and lives. They had gone through the process of preparing their lives for a child and the heartbreak after both of them were miscarried was almost insurmountable.

“I brought it up,” says Shoma. “But I didn’t know what to say,” Shoma grips Yuzuru’s hand tightly for comfort. Yuzuru leads them to a secluded area, removing both of their crowns so he can nuzzle Shoma’s scent mark. He gently presses a kiss to Shoma’s lips. Shoma barely responds, his emotions still raw.

“You did a wonderful job Sho-puppy,” says Yuzuru. Shoma allows his head to fall onto Yuzuru’s shoulder and just breathe in his scent. Yuzuru rubs gentle circles on his back, giving him time to calm down. “I’m here for you.” Yuzuru couldn’t do anything to alleviate Shoma’s pain and it hurt, he wanted to be able to take it away from him. He knew how hard it was for Shoma, but all he could do was be present. Shoma had gone through so much, he was so emotionally strong. They stood for a couple of minutes, silent as Yuzuru ran his hands through Shoma’s hair comfortingly, holding him firmly, just the way Shoma liked it. They had figured out what worked best for the two of them when something including emotions happened. It came to be during competitions when emotions ran high but they were still very much in public. They would find space to be alone and just be with each other. Shoma took a deep breath and Yuzuru knew he was okay now.

“I’m ready to eat now,” says Shoma, he wasn’t ready to talk about the interview yet and Yuzuru respected that. Yuzuru places the crown back on and fixes his clothes. He gave him a kiss that Shoma returns this time. They exit their corner, move to grab food and find their way to their table.

“How nice to have our celebrity couple join us,” says Nathan jokingly.

“You’re one to speak,” says Yuzuru, “Dr. Chen, the impressive Olympian has accomplished yet another feat, do you feel inadequate yet?”

“What are you Buzzfeed?” shot back Nathan. “Sorry, I mean Mr. Hanyu, the odd-defying Olympian has crossed the milestone of pregnancy, will his child be as excellent of a skater as his parents?”

“Dr. Chen, stop being snarky,” says Vincent.

“How nice of Vincent Zhou the brilliant mind that has stunned us once again to join in our conversation,” says Nathan. Shoma laughs, hard, enjoying their banter. It was a relief to be surrounded by people who understood his situation and didn’t push for more information than he gave. He suddenly felt a sharp pain in his lower stomach, Shoma reaches out for Yuzuru. Yuzuru grabs his hand and looks over worriedly.

“What’s wrong love?” asks Yuzuru quietly.

“Just a cramp,” says Shoma.

“Are you okay?” asks Yuzuru

“I’m okay, I asks the doctor about it. They says it was normal.”

“Are you okay Shoma?” asks Nathan, noticing Yuzuru and Shoma talking quietly.

“I okay, just slight hurt,” says Shoma gesturing to his stomach.

“Round ligament pain,” says Nathan. Yuzuru and Shoma look at him confused. He grabs his phone and translates it for them.

Shoma nods, “That what doctor told me.”

“Are you discussing important things without me?” asks Javier, joining the table.

“We are always discussing important things without you,” says Yuzuru.

“That’s not nice,” says Javier.

“You’re the one who isn’t nice, apparently you left me for a woman,” says Yuzuru teasingly.

“And apparently you betrayed me by marrying someone from your own country,” says Javier not missing a beat.

“Why is everyone speaking in article titles?” asks Misha as he joined the table.

“Pushing through injury and becoming a world-famous choreographer, the last item on his list is marriage, Misha Ge,” says Boyang joining the table. “As well as, will he always be stuck on spiders? Boyang Jin still hasn’t tied the knot,” The whole table burst out into laughter. They were able to laugh at the ridiculous nature of the media together, all of them were victims of it in some way.

“Did you see Patrick’s outfit?” Vincent asks Shoma as everyone broke out into familiar chatter.

“No?”

“He’s dressed as Gaston,” says Vincent showing Shoma the picture of the Beauty and the Beast character.

Shoma giggles, “That match well.”

“Shoma!” Jason Brown appears dressed as some Disney character. It looked like it would be accurate but Shoma isn’t sure who he’s supposed to be.

“Are you Flynn Rider?” asks Vincent, excited.

“Yes, when I stand together with my wife it makes more sense,” says Jason pointing towards his wife who is deep in discussion with another figure skater, she is dressed as Rapunzel.

“I wanted to congratulate you and tell you that you and Yuzuru look amazing tonight. I absolutely loved the article, it was lovely. The pictures, especially the ice dancing ones were a nice touch,” says Jason with a bright smile.

“Thank you!” says Shoma smiling. “We put a lot of thought into picture and article.” Shoma appreciated Jason, he had been kind to him when he was going through relationship issues with Yuzuru. It was also nice to know that other skaters read their article and approved. “You look cool,” compliments Shoma.

“Really? I’m glad Shoma thinks I look cool,” says Jason in his accented Japanese.

“Everyone if you can please focus up here,” says Maia. “The Shibsibs are here to welcome everyone and thank them for coming.”

“We hope that you are enjoying your food and at any time, please occupy the empty dance floor,” continues Alex.

“Dance for us!” suggests one of the skaters from the back, it sounds like Adam.

“Thank you for the suggestion, Adam,” says Alex. “I will now break out some dance moves—”

“Alex will not be showing his dad moves on this stage but we encourage everyone to have fun,” says Maia. They both leave the stage to applause and laughter.

Shoma stood up, he needed to walk a little bit, he couldn’t stay seated for too long or else his legs would fall asleep. He taps Yuzuru on the shoulder to tell him he was going to walk around and Yuzuru nods. They were both different people during parties and respected each other’s needs. Shoma ambles around the room, observing the people there. He hadn’t been to a party for a long time, it was nice once in a while. Especially since his husband was so social and flourished in social situations, it made him happy.

“So you’ve officially informed the masses of the little one. Even I can admit those were some beautiful photos,” says Sota walking up to him.

“Thank you Sota, it’s good to see you,” says Shoma embracing his fellow Omega. “I missed having someone to irritate,” says Shoma.

“Don’t you already do that to Yuzuru,” says Sota.

“I would never irritate my husband,” says Shoma.

“So you do it to me instead?” asks Sota.

“Exactly,” says Shoma with a shit-eating grin. Sota rolls his eyes and gave Shoma a one-armed hug.

“How are you doing?” asks Sota.

“Me? I’ve been better but not bad at all considering I’m pregnant,” says Shoma.

Sota smiles, “Good, I’d be sad if I couldn’t make fun of you because you’re pregnant.”

“What does being pregnant have to do with anything, I’m still the same old Shoma.”

Sota’s face fell a bit, “Are you really okay?”

“Yeah? Why?” asks Shoma.

“Have you seen some of the response?” asks Sota.

“To what, the article?” asks Shoma.

“Yeah, I didn’t want to tell you this because it might bring additional stress, but I thought you should know.”

“What does it say?”

“There were a lot of really sweet comments but there were a lot of nasty ones about you being an Omega.”

“Why?”

“I’m not sure, apparently people feel betrayed you didn’t tell them sooner. But it’s none of their business. I just thought you should know there were some weird death threats on there. I reported them online but I don’t know if that really did anything,” says Sota.

“Thank you for telling me,” says Shoma, “I’ll bring it up with my manager.”

“I’m sorry that I had to tell you such bad news. But there were more scary comments than normal and now that you have a baby too I want to make sure you know,” says Sota. “You should also know there were many amazing support comments and angry fans protecting you too.”

“Don’t worry about it,” says Shoma, “thank you for being worried about me. Now, tell me about your time abroad, have you found anyone yet?”

“Stop being irritating, I can see the need to tease me shining in your eyes,” says Sota.

“So you have found someone,” says Shoma wiggling his eyebrows.

“Maybe,” says Sota.

“I need a picture,” says Shoma.

“Shoma come and dance with me,” says Yuzuru joining their conversation.

“I’ve been saved by King Hanyu again,” says Sota.

“Stop, don’t feed his ego more,” says Shoma.

“I’m right here,” says Yuzuru, “it’s good to see you Sota.”

“It’s good to see you too,” says Sota, “your mate was giving me a hard time.”

“Shoma!” says Yuzuru, exaggerating his disappointed tone. “Come, leave him alone.”

Shoma allows Yuzuru to drag him away mouthing, “I’ll find out somehow,” to Sota who was laughing triumphantly.

“Did I disturb your conversation?” asks Yuzuru as he places his hands on Shoma’s waist.

“Don’t worry about it, he wouldn’t have told me who he was seeing if I stayed there anyway,” says Shoma.

“He’s seeing someone?”

“I think so,” says Shoma. He rested his head on Yuzuru shoulder, slow dancing with him. They sway in place, quietly enjoying each other’s company. Scott and Tessa were dancing together, their chemistry just as obvious off the ice as they move effortlessly together talking and laughing. Javier’s wife had joined him at some point during the night and was dancing with him, it was a sweet sight to see. They complimented each other well and clearly loved each other. Misha was dancing with one of the ISU officials, the charmer as always. Adam was dancing with his mate, a little bit closer to grinding but no one was about to call him out on that. Nathan was twirling Vincent around causing Yuzuru to giggle. “What happened?” asks Shoma, curious as to what caught his mate’s attention,

“If Nathan twirls Vincent anymore do you think he’ll do a quad?” whispers Yuzuru. Shoma bit back a laugh and looks over at the couple.

“Maybe the Quad King will rub off on Vincent and have him doing quads on the dance floor,” says Shoma. Yuzuru and Shoma both made eye contact and giggles at the ridiculous notion. The music fades off and the lights brightened up again.

“Hello everyone, I’m here to present the awards now,” says Evgenia.

“Did we win?” Shoma asks Yuzuru, comfortably leaning back into Yuzuru’s arms to watch the stage.

“How would I know?”

“You could’ve asks your former teammate,” says Shoma.

“You think too lowly of me, I have patience,” says Yuzuru. Shoma rolled his eyes, “Hey I can tell you’re rolling your eyes even though you’re in front of me,” says Yuzuru.

“The best costume goes to,” Evgenia pauses for dramatic effect, “Jason Brown and his wife!”

Yuzuru sighs earning an elbow to the side by Shoma, “Be more enthusiastic, they look cute.”

“Our last award goes to our couple of the night,” says Evgenia, “this category has been added on.”

“Don’t perk up so obviously behind me,” says Shoma feeling Yuzuru’s posture change at the possibility of another award.

“It goes to Yuzuru Hanyu and Shoma Uno,” says Evgenia earning enthusiastic applause and cheering from the audience. “Please also congratulate them on their pregnancy.” The audience gets even louder. They both walk up to the stage and accept their awards, posing for a picture.

* * *

 

“I’m sorry I can’t be with you Shoma. I should have come as soon as I found out you were pregnant.”

“It’s okay mom, Yuzuru and I are doing fine. I know that it would be difficult for you to make the trip and stay with us for such a long period of time.”

“I wish you didn’t work so much. Why don’t you just quit your job? Most Omegas focus on growing the baby by quitting their jobs.”

“My job isn’t very strenuous mom. Even if I quit my job I would still be doing the same thing,” says Shoma, “I literally get paid to sit and play games. The only difference is I occasionally coach. Ice shows are over too.”

“I know, but Yuzuru makes enough money for the both of you so you don't need to work, right?”

“Yes mom, we have more than enough money. But there are always things in the future to consider.”

Shoma made a good amount of money from his gaming, he was actually pretty popular due to not only being a world renown skater, but also an excellent gamer. He had sponsorships for his gaming that took care of his costs for travel and competition. Yuzuru also made a significant amount of money from his work in sports therapy, he had the clientele that could fly in to see him or paid for him to fly out. He had a stellar reputation not only because of his fame but the quality of his work as well.

They also both had relatively steady income from skating shows and coaching. They donated most of their money and saved a decent amount. The rest they allocated to their everyday needs. It was entirely possible for both of them to quit their jobs and live comfortably off of skating alone. However, they planned on eventually purchasing a house and possibly having another child. They both supported their families financially, in addition to each of them eventually wanting to buy their parents a home. Also, they both enjoyed their jobs and needed something to do.

“I worry about you, especially since you told me about the miscarriages.” Shoma sucked in his breath, he reached for Yuzuru’s hand. Yuzuru was still asleep in bed, he was tired from all the socializing and partying last night.

Shoma hadn’t told his mother about all of the doctors, lab tests, shots, and the overall strenuous process he had undergone to get pregnant. He didn’t want to worry her and he knew that it would add additional stress. He loved his mother but Shoma also understood that his mother wouldn’t be able to comprehend why Shoma “failed” so many times to get pregnant. Miscarriages were a toll on everyone, especially the people carrying the baby. Shoma who was usually mentally strong had begun to have breakdowns during that time. There was something awful about knowing your body was meant to have children but your own body continued to reject any attempts at children.

There were many times Shoma had argued with Yuzuru, frustrated at his own inability to get pregnant and Yuzuru simply didn’t understand. Yuzuru had done his best but there were times when he slipped up, saying insensitive things. It had truly tried their relationship. They had figured it out, both of them willing to put in the effort to support each other in the process and learn from their mistakes. Early on, after the first miscarriage, Shoma and Yuzuru decided that their attempts to get pregnant were to be kept between people they trusted, not to cause more stress.

“It’s okay mom, we’re seeing both a doctor that is trained in both Western medicine and Japanese medicine. We also have been reading the handbook together.”

“You aren’t giving Yuzuru too hard of a time? Pregnancy is ultimately your responsibility,” says Shoma’s mother. Shoma slowly lets out his breath. He knew his mother meant well but her thinking was very old-fashioned. Yuzuru and Shoma had embraced the more Western notion that pregnancy was both of the parents’ responsibility. The mindset helped to keep both of them sane during the miscarriages and ongoing pregnancy. Yuzuru seemed to have sensed the stress from his mate as he unconsciously released relaxing pheromones in his sleep.

“Not at all mom,” says Shoma.

“I’m just worried about you Shoma,” says Shoma’s mother, “especially because you were premature.”

“The doctor is monitoring me,” says Shoma. “I’ve taken blood tests too.”

“Don’t gain too much weight, you’re already looking a little chubby.” At that Shoma unconsciously squeezed Yuzuru so tightly he opened his eyes. Japanese people were urged to gain less weight than most Westerners so Shoma understood where his mother was coming from. However, Shoma had gained the recommended amount of weight and the doctor says he was perfectly fine. Shoma had never looked at his body in the mirror as much as he did now. Yuzuru did his best to comfort him and Shoma knew Yuzuru loved him no matter what but the random comments about his weight gain made him uncomfortable.

“I won’t mom, the doctor says my weight gain is on track.”

“Hi mother,” says Yuzuru, sensing his mate’s fluctuating mood. “Do you want to see the picture from the ultrasound?” Shoma turned his phone to speaker so Yuzuru could hear.

“Hi Yuzuru, did we wake you up? I’m sorry about that.”

“Not at all,” says Yuzuru. “Let me send you the picture.”

“Thank you Yuzuru.”

“Of course, don’t worry too much mother, Shoma is doing absolutely amazing,” says Yuzuru stroking Shoma’s hand gently. Yuzuru always seemed to know what actions to take to calm Shoma down. Shoma was extremely grateful he was not alone in this process.

“I don’t doubt it, I’m just worried for him.”

“I am doing my best to take care of him as well,” says Yuzuru.

“Both of you do your best, I will call back later. Your brother is calling me.”

“Bye mom,” says Shoma.

“Goodbye Yuzuru. Keep yourself warm Shoma,” Shoma’s mother ended the call. Shoma lay down, cuddling up to Yuzuru’s side.

“I appreciate and love you,” says Yuzuru. He kisses Shoma and everything he wasn’t able to convey in words seem to come across. Shoma felt himself tear up and before he knew it he was crying. Yuzuru wraps his arm around Shoma, bringing him closer. Shoma nuzzles Yuzuru’s scent mark for comfort.

“I’m stressed,” admits Shoma.

“What’s stressing you out love?”

“Everything,” says Shoma. “I’m worried about whether or not this pregnancy is going to be okay. What if it doesn’t work out like the other times. The world will know now. I don’t want to be a failure in front of the world.”

“Shoma,” Yuzuru warns him. Yuzuru hated hearing Shoma put himself down, it was something that had become a common occurrence after the miscarriages and failed attempts. It reminded Yuzuru too much of his mindset as a competitive figure skater, the frustration with not being able to achieve what you know or think you know you can achieve. It was only productive for so long in sports. It was not a productive mindset to have in life.

“I know that I won’t be a failure, but, I’m just so scared Yuzuru. I can’t lose another child, especially when we made it this far,” says Shoma. “And Sota, Sota told me that some people in the media have been leaving death threats. Apparently, I’ve pissed off some of my fans. I also hate that I get so frustrated with my mother. I don’t want to be an ungrateful child, but I also want what I think is best for our baby. Yuzuru I’m afraid of disappointing the world now,” Shoma took a deep breath, “and I’m afraid I’m disappointing you.”

Yuzuru drew Shoma in close, “You owe the world nothing and you will not disappoint me Shoma. Whatever happens during this pregnancy I want you to know that I’m incredibly proud of you. In regards to your mother, you will always clash. It will be like this forever. Even when our baby graduates from high school. I’m the same way with my mother. We’ve already had some disagreements about this pregnancy.”

“You never told me,” says Shoma.

“You didn’t need to know,” says Yuzuru, “her opinions are just that, opinions. What is important is doing what the doctor says and what you think is right for baby and you. It’s hard for people like us who respect and depend on our parents. However, we will end up being even more stressed and frustrated if we do things we don’t feel are right. Just know that I will support you and back you up.”

“Thank you,” says Shoma quietly, “I was worried.”

“That I’d bend to my mother’s will and make you do something ridiculous like stay home all day to make her happy?” Shoma nods his head. “Don’t worry, I’ve learned that it’s important to be able to stick up for myself in regards to our future, especially when it involves a baby now. All families have to go through this, it’s inevitable. I’ve been talking to Javi about it. He’s given me some good advice.”

“You sound so mature now,” says Shoma giggling, rubbing his tears and snot on Yuzuru’s shoulder.

“That’s gross but I’ll let you pass,” says Yuzuru. “I’ll take care of those threats, I’ll make sure our managers' follow-up. That is not okay.” His Alpha pheromones flaring.

“Thank you for giving me the world Yuzu,” says Shoma, nuzzling Yuzuru.

“You’re ridiculous, you are my world,” says Yuzuru earning an embarrassed blush and poke to the side. Yuzuru brings Shoma in closer, “Shoma, can we see someone, together?”

“Like a therapist?”

“Yeah, I’m a little stressed too but I don’t want to burden you with all of my troubles,” says Yuzuru.

“Don’t worry about burdening me,” says Shoma looking up at Yuzuru. "You can always talk to me."

“Even though I know I can tell you anything, I want to see someone,” says Yuzuru. "It will make me feel better." Yuzuru wanted to be able to offload some of his insecurities to someone else. He already knew how much Shoma was struggling, even if Shoma insisted he was okay, it would make Yuzuru feel incredibly guilty to share some of his insecurities. There were things he was willing to share with Shoma, like the fear of not being a good parent but other insecurities that were too heavy to share at the moment.

“Of course, I think we’ll both benefit from it,” says Shoma.

“Thank you,” says Yuzuru pressing a kiss to his forehead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yuzuru's Seimei costume kind of looks like Prince Charming, just a bit. [Seimei and Turandot](https://static.gofugyourself.com/uploads/2018/02/shutterstock_9420005np-1518897966-701x900.jpg)  
> The ceremony I was referring to in regards to miscarriage was [mizuko kuyo](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/06/well/family/the-japanese-art-of-grieving-a-miscarriage.html), it was inspired by the article.
> 
> A slight rant(?): This chapter is a little more realistic and is based a bit more on real-life occurrences and experiences. I think people forget how difficult it can be to be pregnant. Especially in regards to parents, parents always mean the best but it doesn't always work out. People also forget how difficult it is for new parents and how comments that are well-intentioned can end up being more hurtful than helpful. 
> 
> There is also a possibility about doing a fic around the miscarriages and infertility because in general, I think it's something that isn't talked about enough. (Also angst and character development.) I also attempted to include some positive mental health stuff too, like the importance of seeing a therapist. Especially because these two have gone through the whole gamut of pregnancy. I don't think people always realize how difficult it can be just to get pregnant. I also tried to get some healthy relationship stuff in there, like respecting each other's needs and communication (as always).
> 
> I'll get off my high horse now.
> 
> Please let me know what you think and thanks for dealing with me :)


	5. Month 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm finally back with an update; I made this longer than normal to thank everyone for waiting. This chapter is a little more dramatic so sit back and enjoy the ride. There is so much to cover pregnancy wise so I did my best to cover it along with advancing the plot.
> 
> As always I edit everything myself so expect some mistakes.

“Are you okay love?” asks Yuzuru, caressing Shoma’s hand gently. They had begun to take morning walks together to spend quality time and also get in exercise for Shoma. Shoma stuck to the regimen provided for him by the doctor but there was a significant decrease in exercise and the minimal amount of ice time made him restless. Shoma’s breathing had sped up as their walk went on and Yuzuru was worried for his mate. Shoma didn’t smell like he was dying but the change in Shoma’s breathing pattern worried him. His mate also looked oddly concentrated.

“I’m okay, my body just doesn’t work the same,” says Shoma. “Walking helps to get the blood flowing. If I sit for too long my back hurts more.”

“I’m sure your job doesn’t help,” says Yuzuru.

“Definitely not, if I sit and game for too long my back begins to act up,” says Shoma. “The fans are super understanding if I leave the stream temporarily to take care of myself though.” Shoma had begun to stream more and more as he was homebound a lot of the time. He couldn’t skate as much and could only coach so much. He had reduced his own ice time as he got larger. He had managed his weight well but the extra weight to his small frame changed his center of gravity.

“That’s good,” said Yuzuru running his fingers over Shoma’s knuckles. “Not too many mean comments on the stream right?”

“Not at all,” said Shoma. “After our management released the article about threatening legal action for malicious comments they died down quickly.”

“Good, I would hate for you to have to deal with all of that,” said Yuzuru. He couldn’t protect Shoma from everything but he could try to prevent unnecessary harm to his mate.

“Yuzu,” Shoma subtly tugs Yuzuru closer and lowers his voice. “Can you take Friday off?”

“Yes, I can. Why?” asks Yuzuru, curious as to what his mate needs from him.

Shoma flushes red and whispers, “I’ve been needy recently,” says Shoma. “And I need time to you know.”

Yuzuru nuzzles Shoma’s hair, “Of course. I’ve been feeling the change in your hormones too but I didn’t want to be you know, super forward if you weren’t feeling it.”

“Thank you Yuzu-bear,” says Shoma. Yuzuru smiles softly, squeezing Shoma’s hand.

“Wow is that Yuzuru Hanyu?” asks a female voice.

“Yeah, that’s his mate Shoma Uno,” says another female voice, “he’s pregnant.”

“They look so cute,” says yet another female voice.

“When I get pregnant I wish my mate would care for me like that. You can totally tell they actually love each other.” The group of girls squeals, stealing glances at Yuzuru and Shoma. Yuzuru laughs and Shoma giggles at the attention they were receiving. It was nice to know that people found them cute. They had been subject to an increase in curious gazes from onlookers recently, it was usually out of habit. People tended to stare a little longer when they saw someone pregnant. Most people usually recognized they were famous in some way and averted their gaze politely.

“You should ask if we can take a picture,” says one of the girls.

“No, it’s rude, they’re spending time together,” says another.

“But how often do you see Yuzuru Hanyu and Shoma Uno out together?”

Shoma makes eye contact with Yuzuru searching for something in his eyes. He seems to find what he is looking for as he nods decisively and changes their course to walk closer to the girls. Yuzuru raises his eyebrow in surprise. It wasn’t often Shoma would do something like this. As they walk closer to the group one of them seems to work up the courage to ask them to take a picture. “Hi, uh, excuse me. Can I take a picture with the two of you?” asks the girl. The rest of her friends stare at her nervously, cheering their friend on.

“Sure,” said Shoma kindly before Yuzuru can even respond. Shoma gestures for the other girls to join, they giggle and squeal before settling around them. Yuzuru wraps an arm around Shoma’s waist and Shoma’s hand instinctively rubs his protruding stomach. The girls snap a couple of selfies before bowing profusely and running away.

“That was uncharacteristic of you,” says Yuzuru.

“I just felt like doing something nice today,” says Shoma.

“Well I’m sure you made their day or maybe their whole month,” said Yuzuru.

“That’s nice, I like being pregnant now. What they say about how the second trimester is better is really true,” said Shoma.

“You feel much happier,” said Yuzuru. Shoma’s hormones had changed throughout the pregnancy and Yuzuru had become attuned to the subtle changes as time went on. He knew when to get his mate a drink or offer him a back rub. Yuzuru could also tell when his mate was happy or sad even if his expression didn’t change, it was a skill he had after officially being together after 5 years. He wasn’t always right but he was usually pretty spot on. His heightened senses and knowledge of Shoma helped to ensure the pregnancy went as smooth as a pregnancy could go.

“How are you doing Yuzu-bear?” asks Shoma softly. Shoma’s hand tightens and Yuzuru doesn’t even need to look at Shoma’s face to know he was worried.

“I’m okay,” says Yuzuru.

Shoma releases his hand and wraps a hand around Yuzuru’s back, “Honesty remember,” reminds Shoma. They had begun therapy and it had helped a lot. They were able to process the miscarriages and Yuzuru slowly began to open up about some of his fears with the therapist one on one. It helped to alleviate some of his fears about being a father. It had also helped to decrease the guilt he had felt at being unable to help Shoma more. He felt guilty about traveling, working, and simply not being able to help Shoma through the pain.

“I’m worried,” says Yuzuru. “I’m really worried about you.”

“Why?” asks Shoma, not at all accusatory, just curious. Shoma’s curiosity was never intrusive as it was with other people. Even with Javier and Brian, people he trusted deeply, their worried curiosity was sometimes too much. They would ask too many questions. Shoma would ask a couple well thought out questions and listen, with patience and a discerning ear for Yuzuru’s problems. It had often saved their relationship; Shoma’s patience for picking through and organizing Yuzuru’s jumbled mind.

“I know how incredibly strong you are,” says Yuzuru, “but sometimes I feel like you take on too much alone. I feel inadequate because I can’t help you.”

Shoma nods, “What else is bothering you?”

“I’m worried I’m going to lose you,” said Yuzuru. “I’m afraid you’ll pass away in childbirth. The pregnancy isn’t high risk, at least that we know of, but you were born premature and I have all my health problems to pass on to the baby. I just can’t afford to lose you and the baby. Not when we’ve made it this far.”

Shoma stops and looks Yuzuru in the eye, “You will not lose us,” says Shoma. “I refuse to allow that to happen,” Shoma says that with such determination that Yuzuru gains a bit of hope. “And to be completely honest, I feel overwhelmed sometimes. But, you are doing the best you can to help me and that is enough. This process is overwhelming for the both of us and we can’t expect everything to go smoothly.” Shoma admitting that he struggled didn’t make Yuzuru feel any better, but knowing that Shoma felt like his effort was enough was helpful.

Yuzuru grabs both of Shoma’s hands squeezing them before deciding to lean in for a quick kiss. Shoma’s face is bright red but he doesn’t complain. “What time are you meeting with Mihoko-sensei?” asks Yuzuru. They resume their walking, hand in hand, back to their apartment.

“We’re going to meet at 2,” says Shoma.

“Do you need help carrying anything?” asks Yuzuru.

“We should be okay. We're just looking for ideas, not going to buy anything yet. I think it's more of an excuse for her to see me,” says Shoma.

“Just call me if you need me to pick something up and bring it back to the apartment,” says Yuzuru.

“I will,” says Shoma. “Don’t worry, I won't lift anything heavy.”

* * *

Shoma stretches a bit, his back sore. After he ate lunch it was almost like he could feel his weight shift. Shoma had always been in tune with his body as a virtue of being an athlete. He wasn't as in tune as Yuzuru was with his body, but he knew when things were changing. He could feel the tension in his back from carrying extra weight and the swelling at his ankles. He could also feel the soreness in his chest as time progressed. Shoma feels a little flutter, the baby was becoming more active. Shoma places his hand over his stomach, stroking it gently. He was beginning to feel little flutters of movement more and more often. They weren’t quite painful as Kana described it, but it was definitely there. Shoma assumes that as time moved on the little flutters would become painful as the baby rearranges his insides. Mao had told him that the baby could move his rib, that sounded terrifying. “Shoma-kun!” exclaims Mihoko, embracing Shoma warmly, the comforting scent of cinnamon inundated Shoma’s senses and he feels at home. The woman was almost sixty but not much had changed, she was still well put together, nails freshly painted and her fashion sharp as always.

“Hello Mihoko-sensei,” says Shoma returning the hug. There was a little bump between them but her hug felt the same, warm and comforting.

“I miss having you around,” admits Mihoko walking in stride with Shoma. Being around Mihoko was comfortable, she almost knew his habits better than his own mother. She had dedicated her life to him, and for that, he was infinitely grateful. She had taken care of him more than her job description ever asked for.

“I miss being around you and in the rink,” says Shoma.

“Knowing you, you probably only miss being able to skate,” teases Mihoko.

“No, I miss you too,” says Shoma. He truly did miss having Mihoko in his life as often as he did when he was younger. She was a constant in his life, someone he saw almost every day and not having her around was a change he had to grow used to.

“You’re welcome to come by anytime,” says Mihoko.

“I will once I give birth,” says Shoma, “I’ll bring the baby and Yuzuru around too.”

“That’ll be great,” says Mihoko, eyes twinkling. “You can greet all of your admirers.”

“I think they’d be more in awe of Yuzuru,” says Shoma.

“You’d be surprised how many fans you have at the rink,” says Mihoko.

“I’ve met some of them,” says Shoma laughing, “are you sure they’re still my fans after meeting me?”

“I think even more so,” says Mihoko.

“That’s sweet,” says Shoma. The younger skaters improved so quickly, the field always deepening and growing stronger. He was happy to know that some skaters looked up to him, it made him feel like he had made some type of impact on figure skating. He would never have the influence that his mate had but he was happy with what he had accomplished.

“Are you happy Shoma-kun?” asks Mihoko suddenly. She turns her eyes to Shoma and he can see in her gentle eyes that she was truly worried for him.

“Of course, why?” asks Shoma.

“You always told me you never wanted children Shoma-kun,” says Mihoko.

“I changed my mind, I want children with Yuzuru,” says Shoma.

“He didn’t force you to do anything you didn’t want?” asks Mihoko. She stops walking and draws them out of sight into a secluded corner.

“What are you insinuating?” asks Shoma, confused and a little hurt that Mihoko thought badly of Yuzuru.

“Yuzuru is always more forward with what he wants and you will protest if you don’t agree, but sometimes I fear you bend a little too easily to his will,” says Mihoko.

“What do you mean?” asks Shoma, even more confused.

“Yuzuru is a charismatic person. I don't think he even realizes it himself sometimes; he draws people into his orbit and they would do anything for him willingly. You have a much stronger will than most people and Yuzuru loves you so much he would never consciously force you to do something. However, when someone like Yuzuru really wants something—a family per say—he will get it. He has the power to achieve the impossible, not afraid to sacrifice himself in the process. You’ve seen it time and time again. But, when your lives are so closely linked he doesn’t realize that he may be sacrificing your wellbeing in the process. It is impossible for your actions to not influence each other at this point. Both of you compromise easily which makes your relationship incredible but there are also flaws in that. I’m just afraid that he wanted a child and you didn’t really want one but you wanted to make him happy. I’m afraid his idea of happiness in the form of a family was unintentionally forced to become yours.”

“I don’t think that happened,” says Shoma. His mind churns, thinking deeply about what Mihoko said. They stand silently for a moment, Mihoko patient and allowing him to think. Was that what happened? Did Yuzuru’s vision of the future become his own, clouding what he wanted for himself? Shoma never really wanted a family, but somewhere along the line, it changed. A part of it was of his own volition, but another part was Yuzuru’s influence. “I think it’s a possibility that he influenced my decision, but I’m okay with that. His happiness is my happiness and this has become something I want as well. It may not have been before, but I’ve realized that it is something I want now.”

Mihoko nods, Shoma can tell she was satisfied with his answer. “Was all the suffering truly worth it?” asks Mihoko, not pulling any punches, her eyes unflinchingly meeting Shoma’s. Shoma had told her about the miscarriages. She was one of the few people he had felt comfortable opening up to. She had talked him through his failures to get pregnant and helped to prop him back up after some of the more vicious fights. She had always been his support in one way or another. Shoma trusted her to push him when he needed.

Shoma takes a deep breath, unprepared for the question. He had begun processing his miscarriages and his journey to become pregnant but had never dug that deep. “Yes,” says Shoma, “I would do it again, willingly.”

“That’s all I need to know,” says Mihoko. Her eyes soften and she gives Shoma another hug, this one tight and full of meaning.

“Why the hard questions?” asks Shoma.

“Because I love you Shoma-kun,” says Mihoko. “I have to push you even when it hurts. I don’t worry when you fall on jumps because I know you’re strong enough to get up. I need to make sure that you are in place where you are strong enough to endure. When you mated, your life was no longer your own in a sense, it was something that you had to share. Now that the little one is coming along your life will never truly be your own. I don’t want you to be holding on to any resentment. Raising a child is already difficult enough.”

“Oh,” says Shoma. “You always seem to know how to push me in the right direction.” Shoma didn’t realize Mihoko had such a complicated reason for asking him those questions. It wasn’t something he would never think about unless prompted but he had heard of parents resenting their children, especially mothers who were forced to have children. It made sense that Mihoko would ask him something along those lines when he was adamant about not getting mated or even having children before. It probably seemed odd to her that his life goals had changed with the addition of another person. Shoma was someone who was not easily moved but when someone as influential as Yuzuru came into his life—someone he admired greatly—his change in life goals were probably questionable.

“I was your coach for a reason,” says Mihoko.

“You weren’t afraid to be strict, but you were also very patient and kind,” says Shoma. “It made sure someone as all over the place as me could grow to not only be a strong skater but also an independent, functioning human.”

“You don’t credit yourself enough,” says Mihoko, “I nudge you in the right direction and you do all the work to get there.”

“Without the nudge, I wouldn’t even know where to go,” says Shoma.

“That’s true,” says Mihoko, “but you don’t really need my help anymore. You have your own directions and someone else to help point you the right way if you get lost. Just know that if you ever need anything I’m always here.”

“Thank you Mihoko-sensei,” says Shoma.

“Anytime Shoma-kun,” says Mihoko. “And I mean it if you don’t feel right just communicate with someone. Just because I’m checking if you’re strong doesn’t mean I don’t want you to ask for help. Part of being truly strong is asking for help when you need it most. I’m always here to listen, I don’t want to ever shame you for asking for help.”

* * *

“What’s with the long face?” asks Nobunari, he sat across from Yuzuru, beer in hand. “Do you want one?”

“No, you know I’m allergic,” says Yuzuru. “I don’t really feel like I’m ready to become a father.”

“Cold feet when your mate is already in their second trimester?” asked Nobunari teasingly. When Yuzuru’s face didn’t lighten up Nobunari pats his shoulder. “Getting cold feet is a part of the process.”

“Really?” asks Yuzuru. “Isn’t it kind of bad that I don’t think I’m ready when I was the one who always wanted a child?”

“No one will blame you for being scared,” says Nobunari. “It’s a big commitment and you don’t want to mess up a child. Besides, you can want something all your life but when you finally have it, it can be different and that can be terrifying.”

“I’m afraid,” says Yuzuru, “I have absolutely no idea what I’m doing.”

“You don’t,” says Nobunari with a smile.

“That’s encouraging,” says Yuzuru.

“You really don’t and that’s okay. Neither does Shoma. I take that back, Shoma probably knows more than you ever will by just carrying the child. But I promise it’s just as confusing for you as it is for him. You’re both worrying about being good parents. Trust your instincts. There’s really no wrong way to raise a child if you love them.”

“I already love the baby,” blurts out Yuzuru. Yuzuru truly did. He would spend time playing music from Shoma and his free skate programs. He would place his most expensive pair of headphones over Shoma’s stomach, playing only the best quality of music for the baby. He would read to the baby, stroking Shoma’s belly in the process—usually causing Shoma to fall asleep—but Yuzuru would read until he finished the story. He knew the baby could hear him; the baby would respond to Yuzuru’s voice, fluttering against Yuzuru’s palm. He knew already the baby would be perfect no matter what.

“That’s all you need to hold on to,” says Nobunari. “When everything gets rough, remember the love you have for the baby and of course the love you share with Shoma.”

* * *

“Convenience store this late?” asks Yuzuru, already putting on his jacket.

“I really want some orange juice and potato chips, nowhere else is open,” says Shoma. “You’re already putting on your jacket,” pointed out Shoma.

“Because I’m going for you,” says Yuzuru.

“Let’s go together,” says Shoma pulling on his own coat.

“It’s too cold for you to be outside,” says Yuzuru.

“I’m wearing three layers plus this jacket,” says Shoma, “and you’re going to hold my hand the whole way.” Yuzuru sighs, grabbing Shoma’s hand. He was not about to argue with his mate’s pregnancy cravings. Besides they could spend some time together outside of the house. The walk to the convenience store was relatively quiet, both of them tired from work.

“I’m going to stay out here and enjoy the fresh air,” says Shoma sitting down in one of the open chairs outside the convenience store.

“Got it, just orange juice and chips right?” asks Yuzuru. “The brand you like too right?”

“Yup,” says Shoma.

“If you need anything just text me,” says Yuzuru squeezing Shoma’s shoulder. Shoma places his hand on Yuzuru’s patting it assuringly. Shoma truly appreciated how attentive his mate was to his needs. He knew his mate was tired but would never let him go out alone. It could be overbearing at times but he knew it came from a good place. Shoma rubbed his hand on his stomach, enjoying the crisp outside air. It felt nice to have the cold wind blow on his face and feel his cheeks turning red. It was almost like a small reminder of being in the rink. Shoma almost laughed at himself when that thought crossed his mind. He really must miss being on the ice if he was thinking about how cold air reminded him of the rink.

“Hi,” greets a young woman, disheveled and out of breath. She was an Alpha determined Shoma, a mated one at that. She didn’t smell threatening.

“Oh hello,” responds Shoma bowing politely. He was a bit shocked anyone was out and about this late at night, not that he could speak though. He was a pregnant Omega out late at night for some snacks. Who was he to judge what other people did late at night?

“Do you mind if I sit here for a bit?” asks the woman.

“Not all, go ahead,” says Shoma.

“Are you pregnant?” asks the young woman. She turned to him, interested.

“Yes,” says Shoma stroking his stomach, “around 5 months I think?”

“That’s lovely,” says the young woman smiling. “Could I show you a picture of my child?”

“Sure,” says Shoma smiling kindly. He liked seeing other people’s children. He felt more connection to parents now that he was one himself. Shoma could understand why Nobunari would always show pictures of his children to everyone now. There was so much joy involved with having a child. The sound of the convenience store door opening interrupted them.

“Come here Shoma,” demands Yuzuru. Shoma looks up at Yuzuru, startled at the aggression in his voice. He was using his Alpha tone of voice and every particle of Shoma’s being was telling him to go over to his mate. Yuzuru was even emitting his Alpha scent, the cedar scent usually a comforting undercurrent was sharp and almost pungent. Shoma resisted the urge, Yuzuru was being rude for no reason.

“Let me just finish talking to this lady and then we can go,” says Shoma. “Do you need anything?” Shoma asks the young woman.

“Oh no it’s fine, I better go,” she says standing up. Yuzuru walks over to Shoma tugging him up and bringing him inside. Yuzuru’s Alpha pheromones are thick in the air, Shoma follows wordlessly, not wanting to make a scene. Yuzuru was radiating a combination of fear and protectiveness. Yuzuru’s hand is digging tightly into Shoma’s, shaking.

He releases Shoma’s hand, “Go to the back right now,” says Yuzuru using his Alpha voice. Shoma goes to the back of the store obediently. He can see Yuzuru quickly locking the door and then rushing to the back.

“What the hell was that about?” asks Shoma, confused and angry. Yuzuru isn’t paying attention to him as he shuts the lights off. “Yuzuru?” asks Shoma, raising his own voice.

“I’m sorry Sho, not right now, keep your voice down please,” says Yuzuru his voice no longer aggressive, just on edge.

“What’s happening?” whispers Shoma. Yuzuru urges Shoma to crouch down, placing his body in front of Shoma’s. Yuzuru’s eyes meet Shoma’s and Shoma feels his heart drop, afraid.

“She has a gun on her Shoma, please just stay still, the clerk has called the police,” says Yuzuru. Shoma feels his stomach churning. The baby kicks against him, as if sensing its parent’s distress. Shoma’s hand flies to his stomach to soothe the baby. Shoma breathes deeply to calm himself. He couldn’t believe he just put himself and his child in such a precarious position. And to think if he hadn’t listened to Yuzuru he would’ve been dead.

“We’ll be okay,” says Shoma, his voice steady. He sat down fully on the ground, cradling his stomach. He needed to think logically, what could they do to protect themselves? They were hidden behind shelves. The woman hadn’t shot yet. The police should be arriving at any moment. They would be okay, they had to be. Shoma hadn’t made it this far to be shot by a woman holding a gun. Shoma’s hand reaches out for Yuzuru instinctually, bringing him in for a hug.

“We’ll be okay,” repeats Yuzuru, his voice quivering. He was doing his best to be strong for Shoma. He nuzzled Shoma’s scent mark, releasing comforting pheromones. “I will protect both of you if I need to.”

“Thank you,” says Shoma, deciding not to point out that they could easily die if the woman decided to shoot. Shoma was surprised at how calm he felt. He was pregnant and was naturally worried about the safety of the baby, but some part of him knew they would be okay. As if on cue the police siren goes off and the back door opens, police walking in, the clerk following closely behind.

“Are you okay?” asks the police officer.

“We’re safe,” says Yuzuru, sitting beside Shoma, gripping his hand tightly. Shoma interlocks their fingers, and leans his head against Yuzuru’s shoulder, giving his mate as much physical comfort as he could; he knew Yuzuru needed human contact when he was distressed. He feels Yuzuru’s entire body shaking beside him, adrenaline still running through his body.

“We’re okay,” whispers Shoma only for Yuzuru to hear. Shoma’s Omega pheromones are unconsciously released as he comforts his mate.

“Medic, we have a pregnant Omega here. Do a full check on him just in case,” says the police officer. “I’m glad you’re safe, the clerk managed to mark the woman’s car with the anti-crime color ball. She didn’t shoot anyone. We’re going to review the footage and have you answer a couple of questions. You can be on your way, I know it’s late.”

“Thank you,” says Shoma bowing. The medic comes over to check their vitals and make sure they were okay.

“Do you need anything?” asks the medic.

“Could I have some orange juice and water?” asks Shoma, his own body was shaking as adrenaline pumped through his veins. “My blood sugar is a little low and I think we need some water.”

“I can get it for you,” says the clerk, “your mate already paid for it anyway.” The clerk brings Yuzuru’s purchases over to Shoma, stuffing their bag with extra food. Shoma opens a bottle of water, offering it to Yuzuru before drinking his own bottle of orange juice.

“We’ll escort you in our car,” says the officer.

“This might sound a little arrogant but could I call our manager?” asks Shoma. The police officer looks at them a little confused.

Recognition crosses his face, “Hanyu-senshu?” asks the officer looking closer at the two of them.

Yuzuru’s head lifts up at his name, “That would be me,” says Yuzuru, his voice steady now. Yuzuru squeezes Shoma’s hand to let him know he was okay now. He stands up, helping Shoma off of the ground.

“Uno-senshu too, I’m sorry for not recognizing the two of you sooner,” the police officer says. “You can call your manager in the car. We will make sure the two of you are unrecognized.”

“It’s okay,” says Yuzuru, “thank you for apprehending the culprit. I would like to get us home as soon as possible please.”

* * *

“That was fucking crazy,” says Shoma. He had taken a long shower to wash away the nervous sweat and just give him some time to think. Yuzuru was currently absentmindedly rubbing the product into Shoma’s hair. They had finally arrived at their apartment in the early morning after filling out paperwork and answering questions. Yuzuru was able to take work off for the day so they could both recuperate together.

“I’m just glad we’re alive,” says Yuzuru. “Thank you for being so reasonable,” says Yuzuru. He was infinitely glad that Shoma had managed to keep it together for the both of them as they sat and waited.

“Of course Yuzuru,” says Shoma, patting the space in front of him. “Sit here,” says Shoma. Yuzuru plops down in front of Shoma, exhausted. Shoma begins to massage Yuzuru’s shoulders, his hands expertly finding Yuzuru’s knots.

“That feels good,” says Yuzuru, relaxing slightly.

“Thank you for getting me away from her,” says Shoma, “I didn’t even know.”

“She didn’t look threatening at all,” says Yuzuru, “but I caught sight of a gun poking out of her handbag and I immediately panicked.”

“I’m glad you did,” says Shoma. “To imagine I’ve talked to a serial killer who’s been killing pregnant women. And she even managed to get a gun despite all the government sanctions.”

“I can’t believe I just shut down,” said Yuzuru.

“You didn’t,” says Shoma, pushing especially hard on a knot. Yuzuru groans a little and Shoma releases the pressure, not realizing he had pressed so hard. “You got us inside and safe, that’s what matters.”

“I’m just glad you’re okay,” says Yuzuru.

“So am I,” says Shoma. “I’m glad we’re all okay.” There’s an unspoken tension in the room. They had just survived something scary and they both didn’t quite know how to process it. Shoma silently works at Yuzuru’s knots before stopping suddenly, he gets up, fiddling with his phone before Hope and Legacy booms on the speakers. Yuzuru looks up, startled.

“Baby likes this song,” explains Shoma returning to the couch. Yuzuru settles beside Shoma, placing a hand on Shoma’s baby bump. He rubs it gently as they listen to the track, the baby seems to move around in response to the music. They sit silently, side by side. Yuzuru begins to cry and Shoma hugs him tightly, shedding his own tears.

“This is dramatic,” says Yuzuru, laughing and crying at his reaction to the music.

“That’s the point,” says Shoma. “Something a little dramatic and very ridiculous to release the tension.”

“It’s working,” says Yuzuru, sniffling. Both of their eyes are red, faces completely messy, but they’re just happy they’re both alive.

* * *

“You’re telling me that you were both almost shot?” asks Yuzuru mother over the phone, horrified.

“Yes mom,” says Yuzuru, “but we’re doing okay.”

“Let me see Shoma,” says Yuzuru’s mother, “is the baby okay?”

“The baby is okay, the medic checked and we even met with Shoma’s primary care just in case,” says Yuzuru. “Shoma’s cooking right now,” says Yuzuru getting up from the bed.

“How are you doing?” asks Yuzuru’s mother.

“I’m actually doing okay,” says Yuzuru. “I feel pretty good after something so scary happened,” says Yuzuru turning the camera around. Yuzuru and Shoma had immediately seen their therapist after the event, not wanting it to affect the baby or the relationship in any way. He sits down at the table to watch Shoma cook. Shoma was currently frying the fish for breakfast, his entire body focused on the task in front of him. Over the past couple of weeks, Shoma had been growing in size steadily, his clothes becoming tighter and tighter as his baby bump grew.

“Good morning Shoma-kun,” greets Yuzuru’s mother. Shoma’s eyes widen in surprise and he turns to face the camera, waving. “I’m glad you’re safe.”

“Thank you,” says Shoma. “Good morning to you too,” greets Shoma.

“You’re looking healthy,” says Yuzuru’s mother as Shoma plates the fish.

“Thank you,” says Shoma, “the baby is growing well.” Shoma scoops some rice for Yuzuru and a hefty serving for himself.

“Thank you for breakfast love,” says Yuzuru. Shoma nods, pecking Yuzuru on the cheek as he places the food down.

“I want to see your faces Yuzuru,” says Yuzuru’s mother. Yuzuru situates the phone so his mother can see both of them. “You are glowing Shoma-kun!”

“It must be because I’m no longer nauseous all the time,” says Shoma, “I think I actually lost weight in my first trimester.”

Yuzuru’s mother nods her head, “It’s okay, that happened to me too. Mints and lemon water right?”

“Lots of lemon water and palatable snacks,” said Shoma. “Yuzuru was a lifesaver.”

“I’m glad my son is a good man,” says Yuzuru’s mother.

“That’s only because I had such a wonderful mother,” says Yuzuru.

Yuzuru’s mother giggles, “You’re too sweet. I’m going to go now. I have some things to take care of. I love you, dear.”

“I love you too mom,” says Yuzuru.

“Take care of yourself Shoma,” says Yuzuru’s mother.

“Thank you, take care of yourself as well,” says Shoma. Yuzuru ends the call and digs into the foods.

“The food is delicious,” says Yuzuru.

“I’m just glad I can actually cook without burning anything,” says Shoma. “Oh! I remembered I wanted to ask you this before, but it went a little off track with everything that happened.”

“What’s your question?” asks Yuzuru.

“Do you want to know the gender of the baby?” asks Shoma.

Yuzuru’s eyes light up at the thought, “Yes—I mean, only if you want to.”

“I don’t really care either way, to be honest,” says Shoma. “We’ll know at our next appointment,” says Shoma.

“I’m so excited,” says Yuzuru, smiling brightly. Shoma nods, his own smile gracing his face. Yuzuru’s phone rings and he looks at his phone, confused. “Sorry,” says Yuzuru, moving away to answer the call. Shoma eats by himself, slowly, enjoying his meal. A good amount of time passes before Yuzuru returns, flustered.

“Is everything okay?” asks Shoma.

“Brian called, he wanted to know if I could come to Canada for a client,” says Yuzuru. “A severe injury, it’s a figure skater. He wanted me to help with the rehab.”

“Then go,” says Shoma.

“But the appointment and you’re pregnant. I can’t leave you,” says Yuzuru. “I don’t want to leave you alone after everything that happened.”

“I’ll be fine,” says Shoma. “Keiji can come help out if I really need,” says Shoma. Yuzuru growls at that name, he subsequently covers his mouth in shock.

“Contrary to the noise I just made, I am fine with Keiji and trust him completely,” says Yuzuru. “After everything that happened, I don’t want to leave you alone.”

Shoma laughs, “I’ll have Sota help take care of me,” says Shoma. “Maybe even have Satoko and Kazuki take care of me. I’ll surround myself with people to make myself feel safer.”

“Using all the love your friends have for you?” asks Yuzuru teasingly.

“Of course, even Kana and Mao. I’ll cry to them that my mate is gone and they’ll come running,” says Shoma.

“That’s mean,” says Yuzuru, his face contorts. Even though he knew Shoma was joking, leaving Shoma after everything that happened felt wrong. “But I really don’t want to leave you here. I already have to work all the time and the only time we really have are nights and my days off.”

“I’m joking,” says Shoma. “I’m an adult and can take care of myself. Brian shouldn’t keep you for too long, if he does I’ll give him a hard time. I’ll wait to see the gender of the baby so we can see together,” says Shoma.

“A week max,” says Yuzuru.

“That’s fine Yuzu-bear,” says Shoma. “Don’t worry about it. Just eat the breakfast I worked hard on and we can iron out the details later.”

* * *

“I brought some udon for you,” says Sota as he enters the door. Satoko follows after him along with Kazuki.

“Thank you, everyone,” says Shoma. “I didn’t really want to force all of you to come over here.” Shoma had sent out a text for his friends to come and bother him. He had begun to feel lonely, home alone. He hadn’t realized how much time he had spent working or taking care of errands. He wasn’t able to be around his friends as much if he wasn’t on the ice.

“It’s okay, we all needed an excuse to coddle Shoma-kun again before he becomes a parent,” says Satoko. Shoma just laughs good-naturedly. He appreciated having people who loved him so much.

“Satton when will you have a kid?” asks Sota, curious.

“When you mate,” says Satoko. The group bursts out laughing and Sota just rolls his eyes. “I’m glad that you’re doing okay though,” says Satoko, patting Shoma’s hand.

“What do you mean?” asks Shoma.

“You’re pregnant and all by yourself,” says Sota.

“We’re worried that you might be lonely,” says Kazuki.

“A little bit,” admits Shoma. “I’ve been a little scared to be alone after the incident.”

“I would be too,” says Satoko.

“That’s why we’ve decided to keep you company until Yuzuru-kun returns from the war,” says Sota dramatically.

“You’re all crashing at my house?” asks Shoma.

“Basically,” says Kazuki.

“But we’ll help you clean and do our best to take care of you,” says Satoko with a smile.

“Thanks guys,” says Shoma.

* * *

“I’m sorry for calling you out on such a late notice, especially when Shoma is pregnant,” says Brian. Brian had picked Yuzuru up and the airport and got him straight to work. Yuzuru had easily taken care of the client, encouraging them and setting up a regimen.

“Don’t worry about it,” says Yuzuru. “I’m glad I was able to help. Shoma kicked me out of the house and told me to be helpful elsewhere.”

“It’s good to have you back with us,” says Brian. “I’m also glad you’re safe.”

“I’m happy to be here,” says Yuzuru. He truly was. He had reached the peak of his career here. He had trained hard and earned his share of medals. He had also developed long-lasting relationships with is rink mates and coaches. Although he had never really explored Toronto, TCC felt like a second home. It would never be the same as Japan, but it was familiar.

“You look a little stressed,” says Brian.

“Is it the dark circles?” asks Yuzuru.

“It’s the tension you’re carrying,” says Brian.

“Of course you’d notice that,” says Yuzuru. Brian just smiles and Yuzuru suddenly feels the urge to tell Brian everything. Yuzuru may have been a defiant student at times but he could trust Brian. After all, Brian was the one who helped him to secure his back to back gold medals. He was also the one who helped to piece Yuzuru back together injury after injury. "I feel like I failed as an Alpha,” says Yuzuru.

“This is during the convenience store incident right?” clarifies Brian.

Yuzuru nods, continuing, “I yelled at him and then couldn’t even protect him,” says Yuzuru.

“Why didn’t you think you protected him?” asks Brian. Brian was doing the thing where he forced Yuzuru to come to his own conclusion, prompting him with questions.

“I don’t know,” says Yuzuru, sighing in frustration. “We were both safe, but I can’t help feel like I failed in some way.”

“What makes you feel like you failed?” asks Brian.

“The fact that I couldn’t be more of an Alpha in front of him,” says Yuzuru, his eyes widen when he comes to that conclusion. “That’s really stupid,” says Yuzuru. “Societal norms are stupid. Everyone thought I was an Omega because I was ‘emotionally weak.’ But Shoma’s an Omega and he has incredible mental strength. It shouldn’t matter that I couldn’t tackle the lady down to the ground and wrestle the gun out of her hand. What was most important was I was able to get everyone to safety and protect my family.”

Brian nods, patting Yuzuru on the back, “See, you already knew.”

“Of course I did,” said Yuzuru.

Brian just squeezes his shoulder, “Slow down there Yuzuru. You haven’t exactly aced the whole fatherhood thing yet.”  
“I’m sure I can,” says Yuzuru, feeling his confidence restored.

“There’s the spirit,” says Brian. “Now I’d love to hear you say that after you get pooped on for the fifth time.

“What is this about being pooped on?” asks Tracy, entering the room.

“We were just discussing Yuzuru’s journey into fatherhood,” says Brian.

“I’m sure you’ll be an excellent father, children love you,” says Tracy. “I’m glad to have you back. I’m also happy to see you in one piece.”

“I’m glad I was able to see you before my life gets even more hectic,” says Yuzuru, giving Tracy a hug.

“You’re going to take time off right?” asks Tracy. “None of that I can do everything mindset right?”

Yuzuru laughs, his coaches really did know him too well, “No, we’re both taking time off work. Shoma obviously can because of the nature of his job. I’ve been saving up so we don’t have to work for the first two years. We’ll probably both end up going back to work anyway but it won’t be completely full time.”

“Still need to keep busy even with a baby on the way?” asks Tracy.

“Of course,” says Yuzuru. “All I know is figure skating,” says Yuzuru.

“You’re lucky your mate is a figure skater,” says Brian.

“I’m very lucky to be married to another figure skater, especially someone like Shoma,” says Yuzuru with a smile.

“You miss him already don’t you?” asks Tracy.

“Is it that obvious?” asks Yuzuru.

“You’ve always had an expressive face,” says Brian.

“I’ve been told I have a specific face I make when I talk about Shoma,” says Yuzuru.

“It’s called being in love,” says Brian.

“You’ve had that face for the longest time,” says Tracy. “You just didn’t realize it.”

“I did, eventually and made a huge mess of it,” says Yuzuru.

“The way you got together wasn’t exactly a parent worthy story but it was eventful,” says Tracy laughing.

“You knew?” asks Yuzuru, mortified.

“Well Shoma told Mihoko who told us,” says Brian.

“Of course he told Mihoko, he needed to, but then—” Yuzuru connects all the points and looks at them, “is that the real reason you congratulated me so happily in the morning?”

“Maybe,” says Brian, “but I was really proud of your third medal too.”

“I can’t believe both of you know the real story of how we got together,” says Yuzuru.

“You’re really a giving person,” says Tracy. Brian bursts out laughing and Yuzuru does too, covering his face in embarrassment.

“It worked out and that’s what matters,” says Yuzuru.

* * *

Yuzuru did not expect to come home to a house full of people. Shoma texted him that his friends were staying over, he didn’t realize these many people would be over. It was nice to know how much Shoma’s friends cared. His couch was converted to a pull out bed, Kazuki was asleep on it along with Sota. There was the sound of cooking in the kitchen, it was most likely Satoko. Yuzuru opened the door to his bedroom and found Shoma still asleep. Yuzuru places his bags down and creeps up to Shoma to nuzzle him awake. “Yuzu?” asks Shoma, eyes still bleary.

“I’m back,” says Yuzuru laying beside Shoma. Shoma places a gentle kiss on Yuzuru’s lips before kissing him once more. Yuzuru giggles and kisses Shoma back.

“I missed you,” says Shoma.

“I missed you too,” says Yuzuru.

“How was your trip?” asks Shoma.

“It was good, I was able to get the skater back on their feet,” says Yuzuru. “They just needed some mental support.”

“I’m sure seeing Yuzuru Hanyu helped,” says Shoma teasingly.

“But seeing you helps me much more,” says Yuzuru kissing Shoma again. He had missed having his mate by his side. He worried about him every day even though they FaceTimed every night.

“I love you,” says Shoma pressing his head against Yuzuru’s scent mark, breathing in deeply Yuzuru’s cedar scent. There was so much that passed between them, unspoken. Shoma’s loneliness and longing. Yuzuru’s love and protectiveness. How it felt good to be able to touch each other again, to be in each other’s presence.

“I love you too,” says Yuzuru kissing the top of Shoma’s head.

“Good morning Shoma,” says Satoko entering the room. “Oh and good morning Yuzuru.”

“Hi there Satton,” says Yuzuru. “Sorry for not saying hello.”

“It’s okay,” says Satoko, “I wouldn’t blame you for going straight to your pregnant mate. We did our best to take care of him, but we aren’t you.”

“Thank you anyway,” says Yuzuru.

“I made breakfast, we’ll leave after we clean up,” says Satoko.

“Don’t worry about it,” says Shoma.

“I think your mate has other ideas,” said Satoko. Shoma looked at over at Yuzuru who was innocently smiling. Shoma rolled his eyes, kissing him on the cheek.

“He can wait a little longer,” says Shoma.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is kind of based on a real-life experience. Apparently, when I was younger a man tried to rob a store we were buying groceries at, gun, and everything. I was told we hid in the refrigerator thing (where they keep all the cold food in a convenience store). 
> 
> I based their fear off of Japan not being open carry, any reasonable person would be afraid if they saw someone playing with a gun in their bag when the country isn't open carry. Especially where gun culture isn't a thing (unliketheUnitedStates).
> 
> Let me know what you think! To all the people who sent me messages and left comments, thank you! I really do appreciate all of your support. Check my Twitter and Tumblr for some rants and excuses for why I take forever. My DMs are always open if you want to say "hi" or make friends! I'm going to take a short break to focus on some life stuff, I'll explain further on Twitter and Tumblr.


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